XINING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Huangshui River, known as the mother river among the people in northwest China's Qinghai Province, is more beautiful thanks to a series of environmental protection measurements.
Although the river used to be troubled by pollutants, garbage, water shortage and other environmental issues, some regions along the river have become the new habitat of various wild birds and even popular tourist spots.
The county of Huangyuan in the province built a special plant of sewage disposal on the upper Huangshui River, which used reed and other plants to further improve the quality of the sewage after being disposed of.
"The plant can deal with 4.38 million tonnes of sewage every year, greatly improving the water quality of the river," said Wang Wencheng, head of the plant. "A wetland park was even built next to the plant with the sewage after being disposed of, which was harmless to the environment."
The capital city of Xining in the province has launched a project since 2014, turning a wasteland with water pollution along the Beichuan river, a tributary of the Huangshui River, into a wetland park, which also became a habitat of various wild birds including bar-headed goose and egret.
"We used the advanced environment-friendly materials on the pavement in the park and built a system for rain and polluted water collection along the river to minimize the pollution," said Ma Guiqiang, an official with the project.
"The city is more and more beautiful because of the park," said a resident surnamed Zhang.
Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County in the province has invested 240 million yuan (34.9 million U.S. dollars) to control the pollution of sewage and garbage in the Heiquan Reservoir on the River. The county government also set up a patrol team to monitor the pollution around the reservoir.
"We are delighted to see the local residents have been aware of the importance of environmental protection with the publicity efforts of local officials," said Zhou Min, chief engineer of the Xining water supply group.
