STORY: Inter-provincial efforts help improve river water quality in east China
SHOOTING TIME: April 3, 2024
DATELINE: April 9, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:44
LOCATION: HEFEI, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Xin'an River
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FANG PENGMING, Official of Xin'an River ecological protection and development center in Shexian County
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): NI LINJUN, Head of a biotech company
4. various of fruits and raw materials

STORYLINE:

The water quality of the Xin'an River in east China has been improving thanks to a pilot scheme involving inter-provincial efforts.

The Xin'an River flows from Anhui to Zhejiang.

It serves as a crucial ecological protective screen and water resource for the Yangtze River Delta, an area covering Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.

To collectively protect and improve the water quality of the river, an innovative cross-provincial pilot scheme for ecological compensation was introduced in 2012.

It aims to address a long-standing concern for residents along the river: The water quality control of a river is futile when its headwater is polluted.

Under the scheme, the water quality is periodically assessed at the provincial border. 

If it meets the agreed standards, Zhejiang should compensate Anhui for the ecological protection cost. 

Otherwise, Anhui should compensate Zhejiang for additional water treatment costs.

As the water quality improves, other industries flourish.

Among them, tourism and agriculture.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FANG PENGMING, Official of Xin'an River ecological protection and development center in Shexian County
"We have launched several tourism programs. It boosted tourism development in our county. Meanwhile, our high-quality agricultural products are also sold to more markets."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): NI LINJUN, Head of a biotech company
"As people's quality of life improves, they care more about their health. As the water quality of the Xin'an River improves, the ecological environment gets greener, which helps reduce pests and diseases for crops. So either for fruits or raw materials, the better the quality, the higher the price. Farmers' incomes thus increase as well."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hefei, China.
(XHTV)