2018年CRI Wuhan to push forward ecological protection of Yangtze River

 

In an effort to protect the ecological¹ environment along the Yangtze River, officials in Hubei's capital Wuhan have taken a series of measures to regulate the wharves² along shore. 

CRI's reporter Huang Yue has more.

In late December, the average low in the city of Wuhan is around two degrees Celsius³.

However, the cold weather seems to be imperceptible to winter swimming enthusiasts⁴.

Warming up by the river, some bare-chested amateur winter swimmers are ready to jump into the Yangtze River.

69-year-old Wu Jishu is among them. 

Having spent his whole life living in Wuhan, Wu says he's seen an improvement of the water quality of Yangtze River.

"I have been swimming in Yangtze River in winter since 1993. The water quality is far better than before. In the past, there was a lot of duckweed floating on the river, which came from the upper reaches. Now, you won't see it."

Located in the middle reach of Yangtze River, Wuhan is leading the way in helping⁵ restore water quality on the Yangtze River. 

With a history of nearly a century, Yujiatou, now a water conservation district in Wuhan, used to be home to 11 sand excavation⁶ plants and nine wharves. 

Over 500-thousand tons of sand has collected here through the years. 

It's also home to an important water plant which provides drinking water to over one million residents in the city.

Wuhan officials spent around 3 months relocating or shutting down all the wharves and sand excavation plants in 2016.

Sun Kai, deputy director of the environmental protection department in the district, says they met many difficulties when removing these wharves because of their long history and complex ownership structures.

"The wharves in this area are nearly century-old, and within this area, there are listed companies, state-owned enterprises and some ferry companies, so the property ownerships and functions of these wharves are quite complicated. But in general, we have won the understanding and support from them, because this action aims to protect the water resource for everyone."

Sun adds that they have provided subsidies⁷ to the companies to help them relocate.

"There was a century-old ferry company here, and many of their senior workers lived around here as well. It's hard to move them. So we used special policies to help them move, as well as give them an allowance."

So far in Wuhan, over 200 illegal wharves have been shut down.

For CRI, this is Huang Yue.

1 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

2 wharves   

n.码头，停泊处( wharf的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They are seaworthy and can stand rough handling on the wharves? 适用于海运并能经受在码头上的粗暴装卸。 来自外贸英语口语25天快训
• Widely used in factories and mines, warehouses, wharves, and other industries. 广泛用于厂矿、仓库、码头、等各种行业。 来自互联网

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

7 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》