Conservation efforts revive Chishui River section in Zunyi

Zunyi in Guizhou province has seen a remarkable revival in the section of the Chishui River under its jurisdiction following intensified efforts to conserve the watercourse, according to local authorities.

As the only major tributary of the Yangtze River with no dam along its main course, the Chishui flows for over 400 kilometers. Originating in Yunnan province, it joins the Yangtze in Sichuan province. But most part of it is in Zunyi.

Serving as a haven for over 160 fish species, the Chishui plays a crucial role in the biodiversity of the entire Yangtze basin.

In 2017, a 10-year fishing moratorium was imposed on the Chishui. Late in the following year, Zunyi authorities launched a campaign to remove small hydropower stations in the river's tributaries.

In a recent interview with China Daily, Li Zhongwei, a leading official with the Zunyi water resources department, disclosed that as of May, Zunyi authorities had invested a total of 200 million yuan ($28 million) to promote the campaign.

The official said 88 small hydropower stations have been dismantled, restoring natural water flows across river sections totaling 163 km in length.

The campaign progresses alongside an initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity to treat wastewater from the bustling baijiu industry.

For instance, in Maotai township, where a large number of distilleries are concentrated, the initiative has seen all of the 39 tributaries in the township bid farewell to water quality of below Grade V — the lowest in the country's five-tier quality system for surface water — by the end of last year.

The series of efforts have resulted in remarkable recovery of fish resources in the Chishui, according to the agriculture and rural affairs department of Zunyi, a prefecture-level area that oversees Renhuai.

Zhu Zhongsheng, an official with the department, said its monitoring found that there are now 98 species endemic to the Chishui in the part of its basin in Zunyi, compared with 90 before 2016.

"The population structure of fish species has also been significantly optimized," he said, adding that the average weight of Onychostoma sima, for example, has increased 263 percent.