Exclusive article by China's well-off network
Text: "Xiaokang", reporter of China's well-off network, Yuan Shuai
Guided by the scientific concept of development, a new concept of water in the era of ecological civilization should be established, and more natural and sustainable methods should be adopted to manage and utilize water resources. In this way, we can truly realize the sustainable use of water resources and protect the ecological environment of the earth.
Photo by Ning Ying
Promoting green and low-carbon development and coordinating the governance of water resources, water environment and water ecology is one of the important tasks facing the mainland at present, and it is also the only way to realize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. In the government work report of the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress this year, it is proposed to "strengthen the ecological protection and management of important rivers, lakes and reservoirs." Continue to promote a 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River. Implement major projects for biodiversity conservation. Improve the value realization mechanism of ecological products, improve the compensation system for ecological protection, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties to protect and improve the ecological environment. "As the source of life, the protection and governance of water resources are related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Strengthening the ecological protection and management of important rivers, lakes and reservoirs is not only the maintenance of natural ecology, but also the improvement of the quality of life of the people.
Eliminate misunderstandings about water governance
This year marks the 10th year of the mainland's implementation of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, and the protection and management of water resources has reached a critical period. When discussing China's current water resources, water environment and water governance issues, we have to face up to some obvious and urgent issues. In particular, the creation of water landscapes has become common in many cities in the north, but there are many problems behind it. Zhou Jinfeng, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Green Society), pointed out that although man-made lakes are a kind of water landscape, although they add some vitality to the city, they are behind the huge consumption of water resources. Especially in the already water-scarce areas of the north, large-scale man-made lakes not only expand the water surface area and increase evaporation, but also further exacerbate the water shortage. At the same time, in order to maintain these water features, many cities have to take various measures, such as laying impermeable layers, which is undoubtedly further damage to the ecological environment.
In addition to man-made lakes, some cities have created water features in water-saving and man-made ways, such as the use of rubber dams and cement bands. While these practices may seem ingenious, they actually cause serious disruptions to the natural water cycle and ecosystems. For example, it blocks the natural flow of water, disrupts the migratory pathways of fish, and cuts off the passage of life in the water. In addition, these artificial structures also affect the energy and chemical exchange between soil and water, causing fatal damage to underwater soil microorganisms.
In terms of water governance, Zhou Jinfeng believes that there are also many problems. "At present, there is a misconception in many places that the bigger the project and the more it is done, the better the governance effect. However, this concept ignores the basic principle of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The real governance should be the treatment of pollutants, not the intervention of rivers, lakes and seas themselves. Treatment should be carried out before sewage is discharged into the river, rather than being injected into the river with pesticides or other forms of intervention. For problems such as cyanobacteria outbreaks in rivers, lakes and seas, ecosystem restoration should be carried out mainly in a biological way, rather than taking large-scale control measures. There is a need to understand and respect the laws of nature and allow ecosystems to recover naturally, rather than human intervention. ”
Promote new water concepts
"When the water is clear, there are no fish", which means that if the water is as pure as distilled or mineral water, fish and other organisms will not survive. Zhou Jinfeng pointed out that this sentence just shows that the quality of water quality should not be judged based on chemical indicators alone. "At present, the water quality indicators are still relatively backward, and most of the attention is paid to chemical indicators such as BOD, COD, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and suspended solids. However, when we talk about the water quality of rivers, lakes and seas, it is not enough to focus on the content of these chemicals. These are of course the primary qualities of water, but more central is the condition of life in water. The health of aquatic plants, fish and other aquatic organisms is the true criterion for judging the quality of water. ”
Water in nature has its own unique properties. For example, water in some areas has a high fluoride content due to the geological structure below. Therefore, such water cannot simply be judged by existing standards, because this is itself its most natural state, and there is no human pollution. Similarly, some rivers have higher BOD values, which reflect the nutritional status of the organism, which is part of life activities and not pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to upgrade from the water quality standards in the era of industrial civilization to the new standards in the era of ecological civilization. This new standard should focus more on the natural properties and ecological functions of water bodies, rather than just the content of chemical substances. It is necessary to reduce the negative pollution caused by man-made, restore the natural life state of water bodies, and ensure the healthy survival of aquatic plants, fish and other organisms.
Zhou Jinfeng said that in the pursuit of water quality, nature should be respected as much as possible, and nature-based solutions should be used to restore the health of water bodies. Traditionally, man-made pollution has had an impact on rivers and lakes, but it's time to think differently and find a more natural way to solve the problem. In addition, the current construction of water conservancy projects should also be reconsidered. Large-scale hydraulic projects often cause irreversible alterations or damage to nature. The need for water should be met with minimal changes, and methods such as water-saving irrigation should be used to improve water efficiency. Compared to water-scarce areas such as Israel, they should learn how to achieve efficient agricultural production with limited water resources, rather than blindly building more water projects. "We need to establish a water concept in the era of ecological civilization, focusing on the natural attributes and ecological functions of water bodies, and adopting more natural and sustainable methods to manage and use water resources. In this way, we can truly realize the sustainable use of water resources and protect the ecological environment of the earth. Zhou Jinfeng told the reporter of "Xiaokang" magazine and China's Xiaokang Network.
At present, the mainland's economic situation is very grim, and its development needs are extremely urgent. Against this backdrop, many sectors are adding projects that may seem to be actively tackling water scarcity, but in reality, it is worth pondering whether water scarcity is real and whether the best solutions are being adopted. The Kunmeng Framework agreed at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) clearly states that the primary cause of biological loss is the change in the way humans use soil, land and water resources. The actions we have seen such as repairing rivers, canals, and dams are undoubtedly changing and polluting the natural environment. The damage to biodiversity caused by these actions, as well as the exacerbation of the climate crisis, cannot be ignored. In addition, the massive use of high-carbon emission products such as cement for construction not only poses a threat to ecological goals and sustainable development, but also causes great damage to the land on which Chinese depend. This kind of behavior will undoubtedly make the land devastated and the ecological environment in jeopardy.
This year, during the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress (NPC), the Green Committee once again put forward a "proposal on the environmental impact assessment of the Three Gorges". This has led Mr. Zhou to think about a plethora of construction projects, such as water conservancy projects, which he says may have solved some of the problems but may actually have more negative impacts. "There is a need to assess the environmental impact of these projects more carefully to ensure that our actions are truly sustainable. In the face of the grim economic situation and urgent development needs, we cannot blindly pursue short-term interests and ignore the long-term damage to the environment. We need to think and research more deeply to find solutions that are truly sustainable and compliant. Zhou Jinfeng said.
Strengthen environmental protection of water conservancy projects
In May last year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Outline of the National Water Network Construction Plan", proposing that during the period from 2021 to 2035, on the basis of the construction of a number of national water network backbone projects, the overall pattern of the national water network will be basically formed, and the construction of the main skeleton and main arteries of the national water network will be completed. Under the guidance of the "National Water Network" construction plan, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the national plan to complete water conservancy investment will exceed 5.2 trillion yuan, and the impact of these ongoing or upcoming large-scale water conservancy projects on the ecological environment and biodiversity has also attracted much attention.
Previously, in order to strengthen the environmental protection of water conservancy and hydropower projects, the State Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of Water Resources jointly issued the "Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects" (HJ/T88-2003), which provides a comprehensive view of water conservancy and hydropower projects in hydrology, sediment, local climate, water environment, environmental geology, soil environment, terrestrial organisms, aquatic organisms, ecological integrity and sensitive ecological environment issues, atmospheric environment, acoustic environment, solid waste, landscape and cultural relics, immigration, Many environmental factors in the social and economic aspects, the current situation, compensation measures, environmental profit and loss are comprehensively investigated and evaluated, and the front end of the engineering construction project is checked. In 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China promulgated the Technical Specifications for Environmental Protection Acceptance of Construction Projects (HJ464-2009) to check the ecological impact, hydrological situation, pollution impact and social impact of relevant construction projects at the end of the project completion acceptance. In 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) once again promulgated the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment (HJ19-2022), which provides a standardized ecological status, ecological impact, ecological protection countermeasures and technical procedures for ecological impact assessment for all construction projects that need to be assessed for ecological impacts, including water conservancy and hydropower projects.
In this regard, the Green Society Research Office analyzed that these three standards are the same industry standards, and there is no mandatory inclusion of normative ecological impact assessment in the front-end environmental impact assessment and back-end completion acceptance technical specifications for water conservancy and hydropower projects, and the intensity of ecological or biodiversity protection and assessment is insufficient. In 2021, Guangdong Province took the lead in issuing the Guidelines for Ecological Design of Water Conservancy Projects (DB44/T 2283-2021) in terms of landmarks, making special requirements for the front-end ecological design of water conservancy projects.
At the same time, in the process of construction of large and small water conservancy and hydropower projects in China, there have been a large number of cases of lack of ecological protection or biodiversity conservation or serious damage to biodiversity. For example, the river dredging and renovation project of the Hutuo River in Hebei Province has repeatedly endangered the nests of sand swallows nesting on the cliff wall of the river here. A river dredging project in Huludao City, Liaoning Province, has eradicated habitats without regard for the wildlife that lives on the riverbanks. Incidents such as the suspected destruction of the habitat of Baer's Pochard in Baiyangdian Lake are not uncommon, exposing the general inadequacy of ecological survey, ecological design and ecological protection measures for water conservancy and hydropower project construction.
Therefore, the Green Society Research Office suggested that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment should add a special chapter on biodiversity conservation in the Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects (HJ/T 88-2003) and the Technical Specifications for Environmental Protection Acceptance of Construction Projects (HJ 464-2009) for water conservancy and hydropower projects. The merger of aquatic animals and plants and other ecological elements requires special investigations on biodiversity conservation in engineering construction, identification of ecological risks, adoption and implementation of protection measures, and the implementation of biodiversity conservation requirements for water conservancy and hydropower projects from the early and end stages of project construction, and the implementation of the national biodiversity conservation strategy. At the same time, it is recommended that the "Technical Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Ecological Impact" (HJ 19-2022) be linked with the environmental impact assessment of relevant water conservancy and hydropower projects, and require that the ecological impact assessment of all water conservancy and hydropower projects be carried out in accordance with the HJ19-2022 technical guidelines, and be included in the environmental impact assessment of water conservancy and hydropower projects, as a necessary element of relevant environmental impact assessment. In addition, it is also necessary to strengthen and promote the development of post-environmental impact assessment of water conservancy and hydropower projects, and introduce relevant standards for ecological design of water conservancy and hydropower projects at the national level, so as to implement the concept and guidelines of ecological design, so as to avoid the destruction of biodiversity in a wider range and more species in the construction of large-scale water conservancy and hydropower projects.
Water governance Water is the controlling element of the ecological environment, and the protection and utilization of water resources is not only related to the happiness index of human settlements, but also an important yardstick to measure high-quality development. Photo by Ning Ying
("Xiaokang", exclusive article of China's well-off network)
This article was published in the early April 2024 issue of Xiaokang