Zhejiang Tonglu Wins "Dayu Tripod" Prize—the Highest Award for Water Management in Zhejiang

Recently, the Promotion Conference on Building a Beautiful Zhejiang in the New Era and the Biodiversity Conservation Conference was held in Zhejiang Province, and Tonglu was rewarded the "Dayu Tripod" prize. This award is the highest honor of the "Five Waters Control" in Zhejiang Province, representing an important standard to test the effectiveness of water management.

In recent years, Tonglu County in Zhejiang Province has continued to promote the "Five Waters Control" (river chief system) and strive to build the "most beautiful city of water". In 2021, for the 114 main rivers in the county, 123 cross-sections were monitored for water quality, of which Class I and Class II water quality accounted for 92%, and the water quality compliance rate of drinking water sources above the county level was 100%.

In 2021, the "Basin Co-Management" Initiative was expanded to other governance levels rather than limited to prefecture-level cities. Specifically, Tonglu signed a cooperation agreement on "Basin Co-Management" of Huyuan River with Fuyang District, Lin'an and other places, and all upstream and downstream townships, towns (sub-districts) and those on the banks also signed basin co-management agreements, continuously making coordinative efforts and promoting the integrated development of safety, ecology, transportation, tourism, and culture.

Tonglu County has built the smelly pond in the countryside into a demonstration of "ecological governance achievements" to drive the tourism economy and ecological economy and promote common prosperity. Currently, in more than 180 villages in Tonglu County, large or small, more than 500 small and micro water bodies that have been ecologically remedied now boast clear water and beautiful banks, which are integrated with the villages, just like the "Water Pearl".

In following steps, Tonglu County will continue to improve the quality and efficiency of the "zero direct discharge of sewage", upgrade the river chief system, identify and cultivate the water culture, publicize Tonglu's water management experience, highlight the landscape brand of Tonglu, and make the people truly enjoy the ecological environment improvement and lifestyle transformation brought by water management.