Breathing new life into lakes

By mid-2018, a preliminary basin-wide domestic sewage treatment network had been established, encompassing 20 wastewater treatment plants, a 5,743-kilometer sewage collection network and 149,000 septic tanks. Since its operation, it has treated over 400 million cubic meters of domestic sewage, reducing pollutant loads by 1,110 tons of total phosphorus, 8,032 tons of total nitrogen, 71,937 tons of chemical oxygen demand and 5,719 tons of ammonia nitrogen.

To address agricultural pollution, the area implemented a ban on the sale and use of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers and high-toxicity pesticides, as well as the cultivation of water-intensive, fertilizer-heavy crops like garlic.

Instead, the focus shifted to promoting organic fertilizer substitution, green pest control, eco-friendly planting practices and standardized livestock farming. As a result, the cultivation of water-intensive, fertilizer-heavy crops has been reduced by 8,240 hectares, and 32,640 hectares of high-standard farmland have been developed.

High-standard farmland is arable land that has been comprehensively engineered and equipped with modern infrastructure to ensure high and stable yields, regardless of moderate natural disasters.

A 129-kilometer ecological corridor, or buffer zone, has been built around Erhai Lake forming a physical green barrier around its perimeter.

This buffer zone, complete with artificial wetlands, acts as a natural filter, further reducing pollutants before they enter the main body of the lake.

In order to achieve this, 1,806 households of 7,270 people who resided within 15 meters of the lakeshore had to be relocated.

Xu Xiao, a local resident and guesthouse operator in Wenbi village on the eastern shore of Erhai Lake, said that the ecological corridor has become a social media sensation in itself, attracting large crowds of tourists.

"The true transformation of Wenbi village began five years ago, evolving from an impoverished fishing hamlet into a magnet for investors nationwide. Notably, this rapid development coincided precisely with the post-environmental remediation period," Xu said, adding that his guesthouse, which opened in August last year, has just recovered its initial investment and is now on track to generate a profit.