Xinhua Silk Road: Economic development, ecological protection go hand in hand in eastern Chinese city Longkou

BEIJING,Nov. 28,2022 -- Longkou,a county-level city in east China's Shandong Province,has been insisting on promoting green and low-carbon development through improving the ecological environment over the years.

With strong efforts,the city has seen its gross domestic product and general public budget revenue respectively exceed 100 billion yuan and 10 billion yuan. It ranked ninth in the 2022 list of the top 100 counties with comprehensive strength in China released by the County Economic Research Center with CCID Consulting affiliated to a think tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

As an industrial city,Longkou has been firmly taking a road of green and sustainable development with water conservation and protection.

It started in 2018 the comprehensive treatment of the Yongwen River,the second largest river in the city with a total length of 38 kilometers. Through the ecological transformation of the river course,an engineering system with multiple functions such as storage,replenishment and ecological protection has been systematically constructed.

It has also launched a three-year campaign for water control throughout the city,in a bid to speed up the construction of a water security system focusing on water supply security,flood control security and ecological security,matching economic and social development,and capable of coping with extreme drought. With an investment of 1.313 billion yuan,it has implemented a series of projects to improve river courses,expand reservoirs,prevent and control pollution,and recharge reclaimed water.

Longkou has also accelerated the utilization of reclaimed water by purifying the reclaimed water from five sewage treatment plants in the city with ecological wetlands. The purified water will strongly support the industrial and agricultural production in the city.

To promote economic transformation,the city has striven to eliminate outdated production capacity with large carbon emissions,adjust the industrial structure and promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

Data from the local environmental protection department showed that from January to September this year,the average concentration of PM10 in Longkou registered 51μg/m³,13.6 percent better than the same period in 2021,and that of PM2.5 27μg/m³,27 percent better than the same period in 2021.

It is also striving to build itself into a clean energy application demonstration base.

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/331325.html