This Tributary of the Yangtze River is Devastated, But the Local Government Says: It Has Never Damaged the Environment- 中国生物多样性保护与绿色发展基金会

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This Tributary of the Yangtze River is Devastated, But the Local Government Says: It Has Never Damaged the Environment

2020/7/29 17:07:00 本站

The Malian River in Wen County, Longnan City, Gansu Province, is located in Baoziba, Wen County. It originated from the Wuhua Mountain at 4187 meters above sea level in the township. More than 40 mountain streams and creeks converge into a river with a flow of 29.5 kilometers. The watershed is also rich in pratia grass and got its name.

This river entered the public eye because the local residents asked for help from the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) Green Field Guarding Action Project, hoping that the team could pay attention to the ecological environment of the Malian River.

A total of 11 small hydropower stations have been built on this river less than 30 kilometers long, and the river is often cut off. Sand and gravel were being excavated everywhere in the river, and the riverbed was severely damaged. The mountains on both sides of the strait have also been dug and devastated.

In June 2018, the Malian River Basin was hit by a serious mudslide disaster. Houses, roads, and farmland were destroyed, and the lives and property of the people were also seriously threatened. On the surface, this is a natural disaster. However, the local people don't think so. They think that years of sand mining in rivers and excessive excavation of mountains are the root causes of floods.

Local people also responded to the government. The government has all denied questions about their response.

Someone reported the problem to the central inspection team, and the inspection team assigned the issue to Longnan City, which in turn gave it to Wen County.

The Issue:

In the watercourse of the Malian River 50 meters southeast of Doujiaba Community in Zhujiatai Village, Baoziba Town, Wen County, someone digs sand there, destroying the river embankment, causing the embankment to be raised, and stacking sand and gravel in the villagers’ fields. Not recovered.

Reply from Wen County:

After verification, the complaint reporting that someone digs sand in the Malian River is the clean-up work of the silt after the Malian River’s “June 30” torrential flood and debris flow disaster in 2018 organized by the Wen County Government. Sand and gravel are piled in this section. The beaches far away from the main river channel have no phenomenon of pirate quarrying of sand and stone. There was no damage to the river embankment, causing the river embankment to be overhead.

At present, more than 50,000 square meters of riverbed deposits have been cleaned up. The riverbeds of key river sections involving villages and farmland sections have been dredged, and other river sections are being implemented in stages.

In the next step, Wenxian County will instruct relevant units to clean up the "four chaos" of the river, effectively speed up the cleaning up and dredging of the Malian River, and ensure the safety of the lives and property of the people along the Malian River; strengthen daily inspection and supervision, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of sand and gravel pirates.

August 8, 2019

Someone reported the problem directly to the local government.

The Issue:

1. In the Malian River Basin of Wen County, there have been frequent flash flood disasters in recent years, especially the “6-30” flash flood disaster in 2018. The reason is that there are a lot of illegal sand mining in the Malian River Basin. The water in the Malian River was so clear before, but now there is no day clear. In addition, sand mining congested the river, seriously threatening farmland and houses on both sides of the strait. The disaster last year was an example.

The mining sites are mainly concentrated in Taojiaba and Zhangjiaba. Sand mining can be seen everywhere along the river.

2. "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has been advocating for many years, but there are still more than a dozen small power stations in the Malian River Basin. Due to the diversion of water for power generation, the entire Malian River has been dried up for many years and severely damaged the ecological environment.

The central government attaches so much importance to the environment, but the Malian River Basin is like this. The river chief system is useless here. Whose responsibility is this? Hope the leaders will pay attention to it. It should be checked carefully and return the lucid waters and lush mountains to the Malian River Basin.

Reply from the Wenxian County Party Committee Office of the CPC Longnan City:

I. On the issue of illegal sand mining and mining. There used to be cases of illegal sand mining in Baoziba, Wenxian County. After several years of treatment, all have been shut down. After the "8.7" and "6.30" flash flood disasters occurred, due to the tight schedule and heavy tasks of the reconstruction work in Baoziba Town, some people privately quarried sand in the river to build houses, which was mistaken by unknowing people as illegal mining and trading.

II. Regarding the issue of turbid river water and congestion. In addition to the turbidity of the Malian River when there is strong rainfall, it can remain clear at other times, and there is no congestion of the river. After the "6.30" flash flood disaster last year, the Party Committee and Government, Water Affairs Bureau, Transportation Bureau and other units of Baoziba Town organized a large amount of dredging work through manual and mechanical means, and the river is now smooth.

III. Regarding the problem of small hydropower stations destroying the ecological environment of the Malian River Basin. After investigation: There are eight small hydropower stations in Baoziba Town, Wenxian County, and they have complete procedures and legal operations. Although they use river water for power generation, they did not cause many river sections to dry up all year round. Moreover, in the low rain season, the river flow is small. Under the circumstances, the hydropower stations are all closed, and the river water is not introduced into the hydropower stations to generate electricity; Regarding the argument of serious damage to the ecological environment, the ecological environment in Baoziba, Wenxian County, has always been in a normal state, and there has never been an incident that damages the ecological environment. Since the establishment and operation of the river chief system, the relevant responsible persons have been able to stick to their posts and perform their duties. Regular inspections are carried out, and relevant conditions and problems of the river and surrounding areas are reported at any time. The town’s party committee and government often organize manpower and machinery to solve the problem, requiring public welfare workers in various villages along the river to clean the river and the surrounding environment, so as to ensure the smooth flow of the river and the cleanliness of the surrounding environment.

July 7, 2019

No matter what the problem is, the local government of Wen County will always answer in the negative. Regarding sand dredging: Dredging does not exist. Even if there is sand digging, the masses themselves dig sand illegally. Regarding the destruction of the ecological environment: it does not exist, the environment has never been destroyed. Regarding inconsistency: it does not exist, it is simply too good.

Is the Malian River that we see the same as the Malian River that the Wenxian government said? Local residents worry that if the Malian River problem is not resolved, new environmental and geological disasters will be inevitable. Please pay attention! Save the Malian River in Wen County, Longnan, Gansu Province!

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