Control of resources becomes top priority

In recent years, Shaanxi province has stepped up efforts to protect the ecosystem of the Yellow River.

In particular, it has used legislation to make water remediation a top priority in promoting the high-quality development of areas along the waterway.

Since 2018, the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi People's Congress, the top legislative body in the province, has drafted or amended 32 local regulations covering various aspects of river protection.

They include environmental conservation, preservation of cultural relics, and high-quality growth, according to Liu Xiaoyan, the committee's deputy head.

She said control of water quality and the river's ecosystem are key to environmental protection, adding that the committee has undertaken several rounds of related legislative research and visits.

Wang Yali, an official with the committee's legislative affairs commission, said, "The imbalance between supply and demand of water resources and the grim flood control situation in our province mean we have to highlight water remediation on our agenda.

"Meanwhile, the weak flood discharge capabilities and the high sediment flow in the lower reaches of the Weihe River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River, have prompted us to clarify how administrations work with each other when solving such problems to ensure they have rules to follow," she said.

According to Wang, since 2018, the committee has revised a number of regulations related to the conservation of water and soil, and the protection of sources of drinking water.

It has also had a leading role in drafting the rules to control water pollution in the Yanhe River, a tributary of the Yellow River in Yan'an city, and in introducing water-saving regulations in Xi'an, Shaanxi's capital.

Wang said the committee is also amending a regulation on environmental protection in the area around the Weihe.

The moves－which involve seven cities and two areas in the province, Xianyang and the Xixian New Area－are aimed at providing the most stringent measures on the use and protection of water resources.

"In the process of revising the regulation, we solicited opinions from villagers, government officials and water experts," she said.

"We also visited the cities and areas involved to conduct research so we could balance environmental conservation and economic development along the river."

Hou Jinxin, director of the Weihe River Ecological Management Bureau in Xi'an, was part of the revision team.

"About a decade ago, the water quality was poor, and the management of riverbanks was disordered. Rubbish could be seen all along the river," she said.

The efforts made by the provincial government since 2010 have resulted in greener riverbanks and much cleaner water, according to Hou.

"Water control is not only necessary for the river itself, but also for Shaanxi's environmental protection and high-quality development," she said. "Therefore, the effective measures should be laid down by laws and regulations in a timely manner."

She suggested that when the regulation is amended, the committee should clarify the responsibilities of government departments at the provincial, city and district levels in terms of the river's protection, and she also called for more investment to beautify the riverside environment.

In the past four years, the provincial legislature has also introduced or revised nine regulations related to high-quality growth along the Yellow River and three on the protection of the waterway's culture and history.