Clearing the way with clean waters

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Concerted efforts to restore reservoir area shine out in nationwide environmental campaign.

Zhao Handa used to be a pig farmer in Zhejiang province.

But since February, the 54-year-old has been running a recreational village for tourists instead.

The village had been home to more than 200 pigs. But last year, the pigpens were demolished to help protect the Shanxi reservoir area.

Zhao, 54, became one of Huangtan township's residents who had to find another way to make a living with the changes.

He decided to open a restaurant in the village first. The three-story eatery has since been doing brisk business, with at least 200 diners a day.

"Besides the restaurant, a water park and several log cabins are also being built," Zhao said.

He is confident that the clean water and green mountains being maintained in the area will help boost tourism in Huangtan, in turn generating revenue for his new business.

The reservoir, which has a storage capacity of more than 1.8 billion cubic meters, is a crucial water source in the area, supplying 70 percent of the population in Zhejiang's economic powerhouse of Wenzhou alone.

Zhao, who used to rake in about 2 million yuan ($325,400) a year from farming and producing feed, said sacrificing the stability of his former livelihood for the quality of the water piped to the population of 5 million downstream is "well worth it".

The former farmer's optimism reflects the general attitude of most people affected by the local authorities' move to clean up the area's water resources. Many residents, increasingly aware of the costs of pollution, are now warming up to the environmental initiatives, which are also beginning to see positive results.

Xue Lezhi, head of Huangtan township, said the local government will provide free training and consultation and allocate subsidies for people who start new businesses instead of farming poultry, to protect the Shanxi reservoir region.

Wenzhou authorities are also providing 20 million yuan in subsidies for five consecutive years starting this year, its water resources bureau said.

Xing Meixiang, a migrant from the reservoir protection zone, was excited about the training. She moved to Juyu township in the reservoir area and became a needlewoman, earning at least 2,000 yuan a month.

"Now my income is stable and the environment is attractive," Xing said.

Wang Zhenyong, head of Wenzhou's water resources bureau, said that by the end of 2016, all the residents in the reservoir area will enjoy reliable incomes and improved living conditions.