New Chongqing-Chongqing Daily reporter Shen Xiaojia Zhang Jinhui
"Teacher Fang, come to the house to eat before leaving!" On September 11, when the scorching sun was in the sky again, Fang Quan, a geological engineer of the 107 geological team of the Municipal Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration and Development, came to Zhuyuan Town, Fengjie County for a return visit, and was immediately "arrested" by Fang Xuanqiong, a local villager.
Fang Xuanqiong's home is located in the mountains at the junction of Fengjie and Yunyang. It belongs to the karst landform, the karst development is strong, the whole ground is like a huge "funnel", the stones all over the mountains are full of holes, and the groundwater cannot be stored at all. Once you encounter a sunny and high temperature, you can't avoid a lack of water. The surging river is close at hand, but it cannot quench the "thirst" of the people in the mountainous areas.
Zhuyuan Town, Fengjie County, taken on September 11, 2024, shows a karst trough valley landform trending nearly east-west. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
Two years ago, Chongqing launched the implementation of the "Yangtze River Economic Belt 1:50,000 Sangping Dam Width and Zhuyuan Dam Width Hydrogeological Survey Project", to find water-rich rock formations in more than 800 square kilometers of land, including Zhuyuan Town, and then expose through hydrological drilling, to bring high-quality groundwater to the ground to solve everyone's drinking water problem.
Fang Quan is the head of the project team, and the year before last, he and his colleagues came to Zhuyuan Town and began to look for water. It's an incredibly difficult process.
On September 12, in Tuantan River, Nongba Town, Yunyang County, geological engineers waded to the hydrogeological profile measurement point with geological hammers, road machetes, RTK measuring instruments, etc., to explore the sequence and lithology of rock strata, and look for information on the burial and distribution of aquifers and aquifers. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
The first is that the target is too small. The project covers an area of more than 880 square kilometers, and at this scale, a well is smaller than a speck of dust. Targeting a water source in such a large area is more difficult than an Olympic shooting competition.
The second is the limited time. The project team consists of 5 people, and the project will be launched in the first quarter of 2022, and the field investigation work will only take 1 year.
Finally, there is the difficult environment. The water-bearing strata are distributed among the lofty mountains and mountains, which are not only difficult to walk, but also may encounter dangerous animals such as snakes, poisonous bees, poisonous insects, and wild boars.
To solve these problems, we need not only scientific thinking and advanced technology, but also a strong physique and strong perseverance.
Fang Quan and his colleagues first found out, spent more than a year doing desk work, carefully reviewed the hydrogeological data of the past 50 years in the project area, and then combined with remote sensing images, first circled dozens of key areas in this vast land.
On September 12, in the Tuantan River in Nongba Town, Yunyang County, geological engineers on the move were analyzing their field work manuscript maps to confirm the route to the hydrogeological profile measurement point. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
Then, with maps and information, they visited key areas in groups, following clues such as rock formations, springs, and dark rivers, and gradually narrowed down the scope of water source targets until they were finally calibrated.
On September 12, at the Tuantan River in Nongba Town, Yunyang County, geological engineers found a typical sign of stratigraphic demarcation and determined that the south of this place is the distribution of the main aquifer in the area. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
On September 12, in the 3rd group of Quanwan in Xingfu Village, Nongba Town, Yunyang County, geological engineers measured the properties of water at the newly discovered spring site. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
"The process of finding water is really dangerous!" Fang Quan recalled that last fall, when he and his colleagues were conducting field surveys, a pile of fallen leaves appeared in front of them. They looked at it, turned around and ran.
It turned out that there was a highly venomous five-step snake lying in the fallen leaves, and its pattern was highly similar to that of dead leaves. If you don't see the snake's head, everyone is likely to step on the snake, and the consequences are unimaginable.
Hard work pays off. In two years, Fang Quan and his team drilled 15 wells for local villagers. The well of Fang Xuanqiong's house is the No. 9 well, which is located in his backyard. Throughout the year, clear groundwater gushes out.
On September 11, at the No. 10 borehole in Jianshe Village, Zhuyuan Town, Fengjie County, villager Huang Cunji (first from left) was laying a pipeline to divert water from the well home. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
"In the past, I had to go to the mountains to look for water, wash the vegetables and then wash the clothes in a basin of water, and I was reluctant to pour it, so I used it to wash my feet. Now I'm finally not afraid of running out of water. Fang Xuanqiong said as she spoke, tears flickered, and her mouth repeatedly muttered "Enjoy, enjoy".
At Well No. 10 near Fang Xuanqiong's house, 80-year-old Chahe villager Huang Cunji was excited. He said that thanks to the well drilled by the geological team, he, his wife and granddaughter are no longer short of water.
On September 11, in Bainiwan (small place name), Group 6, Zhuyuan Community, Zhuyuan Town, Fengjie County, Fang Xuanqiong (first from right) and his family used well water to wash and cool off at the No. 9 borehole located in the backyard of their home. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
On September 11, at the No. 10 borehole in Jianshe Village, Zhuyuan Town, Fengjie County, villagers who were drinking the well water flowing from it praised it again and again. Reporter Zhang Jinhui Photo / Visual Chongqing
Huang Cunji's family, like Fang Xuanqiong's family, uses mountain spring water every day. In the past, in order to save water, the family did not even take a bath. Now, the old man has connected the water pipe from the artesian well to his home, and he is very relieved to cook and bathe.
It is estimated that these 15 wells can support the daily water supply of more than 20,000 people in the surrounding area. The hydrogeological surveying and mapping data formed by the project team will also effectively guarantee the needs of local major engineering construction and industrial planning. Fang Quan said that at present, they are carrying out the project of "Hydrogeological Survey of 1:50,000 Hot Spring Towns and Jianshan Dam Widths in the Chongqing Yangtze River Economic Belt" and will continue to look for more reliable water sources.