According to the Anhui Provincial Department of Transport, the Regulations on the Management and Protection of Water Diversion Projects from the Yangtze River to the Huaihe River introduced in Anhui (referred to as the Regulations) has been officially put into practice since March. It regulated the diversion project from the aspects of delimiting the scope of project management and protection, standardizing water dispatching and water management, strengthening shipping management, and promoting water quality protection.
The river diversion project is a major strategic water resource allocation project across river basins and provinces, supplying water to 13 cities and 46 counties (cities and districts) in Anhui and Henan.
The Regulations regulated the scope of shipping management for the diversion project and the main body responsible for waterway maintenance, and clarified that the construction and operation units would charge the ship crossing fees in accordance with the regulations to strengthen the shipping management and ensure the safety of navigation. Meanwhile, the competent transport department at or above the county level may take time-limited navigation, one-way navigation, closure of navigation and other control measures in the event of severe weather, special water conditions and other special circumstances that have a great impact on the navigation safety or due to the need for ecological protection.
According to the Regulations, ships navigating, berthing and operating in the project waterway shall set up sewage pollutant storage and oil collection devices, and the pollutants shall be closed in the ship, collected and brought ashore, while the discharge of pollutants into water bodies shall be prohibited as well. The local governments at all levels should strengthen ecological protection and restoration establish the cross-regional water pollution prevention and control collaboration mechanisms and other related work.
At present, the construction of 81 main projects of the diversion project (Anhui section) has been under way, with a total investment of 74,163 billion yuan, and 46 bridges have been completed and 45 have been opened to traffic. The project construction has entered the stage of water and navigation trial. Next, the Anhui Provincial Group Limited for Yangtze to Huaihe Water Diversion will pay close attention to the quality and safety management and control of the project, build and improve the project operation management system, and take solid steps to promote the project construction, and strive to basically meet the conditions for the water and navigation trails by the end of this year. The joint adjustments and tests of water supply, shipping and other projects will be carried out in 2023, and the construction task will be mostly completed by the end of 2023.
Reprinted from: China Transportation News Network