Guiyang aims to create ever greener environment

According to the Standing Committee of the Guiyang Municipal People's Congress – in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – the metropolis is continuing on its path to going green and the concept of creating an ecological civilization has been placed on its work list for the last consecutive nine years.

Ecology has become one of buzz words in Guiyang and it has stood out since the 13th-Five Year Plan period (2016-20), with data showing that the excellent and good rate of air quality in Guiyang during the period rose to 98.9 percent.

Other major progress was made in forest coverage which reached 55 percent, while the per capita area of urban parks and green land area was at 13.16 square meters and the quality of river sections and centralized drinking water sources remained at 100 percent.

A variety of measures have been adopted, including legislation, supervision and proactive decisions on major issues. There have also been official inspections of natural resources, in order to ensure the protection and conservation of the region's green mountains and clear waters.

Effective laws and regulations on the environment have, for example, helped at Ludishao village – located in Hongfenghu town in Qingzhen city, administered by Guiyang city – ushering in substantial benefits.

Serving as part of a second green belt around Guiyang, the local tea plantation has expanded to now cultivate 5,000 mu (333.33 hectares) and there are plans to double its growing capacity. Currently, it operates three modern production lines for black tea, white tea and green tea and there are moves afoot to equip it with a tea museum, covering 150,000 square meters, as well as establish a tea culture town and a demonstration park.

Guiyang's leaders reportedly travelled there on June 18 to experience its pristine environment for themselves.

The scene was set for the major green achievements when, from 2012 to 2013, Guiyang made great efforts to revise and enforce its laws and rolled out regulations on building an ecological civilization, specifically suited for local conditions, which were implemented in May of 2013.

At the same time, Guiyang moved to rigorously monitor its air, water, solid waste, soil and noise pollution and it is following the two fundamental principles of harmony in development and the environment.

Last November, city representatives conducted a field investigation of Guiyang's reclaimed water plants and the Nanming River and found positive results flowing from their comprehensive treatment. The same ecological achievements were also witnessed in a survey conducted this March and April. It has been widely observed that the public's awareness of environmental protection has increased greatly in recent years, through various activities launched by the Standing Committee of the Guiyang Municipal People's Congress.

These have included organizing volunteers to make the rounds of nearby rivers and parks, as well as publicizing information about garbage classification to residents.The growing feeling is that a better environment calls for green mountains and clear skies, which has become the common concern of all citizens in Guiyang.

Moving forwards, Guiyang's authorities are expected to continue their efforts to transform the city into a much greener metropolis.