On October 20, Liu Wei, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Heilongjiang Province, conducted an unannounced inspection of water pollution prevention and control in Mudanjiang in the “no prior notice, no greeting, no briefing, no accompanying reception; directly going to the grassroots and inspection sites” manner. He stressed that it is vital to thoroughly apply Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, resolutely shoulder the political responsibility for the ecological and environmental protection of lakes, follow the deployment requirements of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, take the accelerated development of a provincial pilot zone for building a Beautiful China as the guide, balance lake ecological conservation with public demand for enjoying water resources, make every effort to safeguard the lucid waters of Jingpo Lake, and help boost the high-quality development of green and beautiful Heilongjiang.

Liu Wei successively inspected the stormwater outfall at Jingpo Lake Villa, the sealed outfall of the centralized sewage treatment station at Zhenhu Building, and other outfalls around the lake area. He learned about the standardized construction of stormwater outfalls and the progress of treatment for sealed outfalls, and enquired in detail about the investigation, rectification and rainwater-sewage diversion renovation of lake-entry outfalls. He emphasized that the rectification of lake-entry sewage outfalls and sewage control within the scenic area are directly related to the ecological security of the lake. We should adopt a systematic governance approach, coordinate the lake, its tributaries and the lakeside zones, focus on key sites including stormwater outfalls and sealed outfalls, strengthen patrol and inspection, achieve early detection, early warning and early disposal of risks, continuously consolidate the outcomes of outfall rectification, and maintain stable and sound lake water quality.

At the sewage treatment station of Villa Wharf, Liu Wei checked the operation and maintenance of sewage treatment facilities and asked detailed questions about sewage transfer and the end use of treated effluent. He pointed out that sewage treatment facilities constitute a key link in pollution prevention and control for Jingpo Lake. It is necessary to optimize operation and maintenance, strengthen monitoring and supervision, properly maintain equipment, and ensure the stable operation of treatment facilities. The whole-chain management of sewage collection, storage, transfer and disposal shall be strictly implemented to guarantee that domestic sewage from the scenic area is fully collected, transferred and properly disposed of.

Liu Wei boarded a boat to the central lake area, directing staff to conduct rapid on-site water quality testing. He inspected the lake water conditions and the operation of the automatic water quality monitoring station, and learned about water quality changes after flood seasons. He stressed that we should stay focused on the core goal of improving reservoir and lake water quality, take pragmatic measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of floodwater on water quality after floods, sort out and analyse water quality data to scientifically and objectively reflect the real effects of lake governance, and continuously raise the standard of aquatic ecosystem protection and governance in the Jingpo Lake watershed.

Relevant officials from the Water Ecology and Environment Division of the Department, Mudanjiang Ecological and Environmental Inspection Bureau, and Heilongjiang Mudanjiang Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Centre took part in the unannounced inspection.