HEFEI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Xinhua Institute, the think tank arm of Xinhua News Agency, on Friday issued a report on the ecological civilization development in the Huaihe River Basin in the new era at an event in the city of Huainan, east China's Anhui Province.
The Huaihe River is one of China's seven major rivers. Its river basin occupies a pivotal position in the country's economic and social development, ecological security and food security. But flooding and water pollution once hindered development along this river.
According to the report, governance of the Huaihe River has advanced through coordinated efforts since 2012. Work has focused heavily on flood control, water conservation, aquatic ecosystem restoration and enhancing the water environment. Ultimately, these combined initiatives have driven historic achievements in river management, pollution treatment and poverty eradication.
The report stated that the Huaihe River is shifting from traditional river basin governance toward broader basin revitalization.
In recent years, regions along the river have firmly safeguarded the bottom line of water security, tightened restraints on water resources, stabilized aquatic ecosystems and innovated water governance, laying a solid foundation for high-quality development, it said.
The basin is exploring a new model of ecological civilization development by aligning with national development strategies, fostering cultural industries, leveraging sci-tech innovation to upgrade industries and promoting a comprehensive green transition, the report noted.
The report also pointed out that the development of an ecological civilization in the Huaihe River Basin embodies elements of Chinese wisdom, like putting environmental protection first and working toward coordinated growth. It could potentially be used as a model for managing the environment in other large river basins around the world.
Against the backdrop of global challenges such as worsening water crises, the disharmony between ecological conservation and economic development, and ineffective cross-regional governance, the Huaihe River story offers valuable experience in pursuing harmony between humanity and nature while advancing coordinated development.
Yang Feng, head of the Huaihe River Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources, said the river basin has undergone a remarkable transformation over more than seven decades in the past. It has achieved harmonious coexistence between humanity and water resources, providing strong support for economic and social development as well as people's well-being in the region.
Accounting for only around 3.3 percent of China's total water resources, the Huaihe River Basin supports about 14.5 percent of the country's population and contributes one-fifth of its grain output.
Cross-regional coordination, notably, is also a key part of conservation efforts.
The Huaihe River Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment have established China's first cross-provincial, river-basin-wide joint prevention and control mechanism for water pollution incidents. The basin has also seen the full implementation of river-chief and lake-chief systems.
Significant progress has been made in water conservation. Water consumption per unit of GDP in the basin declined 52.6 percent from 2013 to 2023.
In a recently published article citing China's green development concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," Erik Solheim, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations, said the argument is not that China will sacrifice economic growth to protect nature, but that protecting nature is itself a sound economic strategy. Enditem
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