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Well-wishers restore old wells
By Xu Wenwen |
July 28, 2010, Wednesday
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WATER is the life's blood of Hangzhou. Beside the West Lake, Grand Canal of China and numerous streams, the neighboring city has identified more than 8,300 water wells that once were essential for drinking, laundry, irrigation and production.
Cool water in underground aquifers was used to keep food and fruits cool. Some wells were famous for their pure water.
Today most are unused, damaged, overgrown with moss and the water in many is undrinkable. People have forgotten the days when water was drawn by hand and didn't come out of a tap.
But Hangzhou's Well Protection Project has repaired 208 wells that are more than 50 years old, and it is repairing others for their practical, cultural and historic values.
One of the newly restored wells is Shangkou Well in Ganshui (Sweet Water) Lane.
In the old days the place was a salt marsh and there was little fresh water, until Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) paid a visit and commanded experts to find a well. And they did.
Even today the water is used by residents, especially old people who remember drinking the well water.
But nowadays this well and others are contaminated by E. coli bacteria and the ammonia and nitrogen levels are unsafe.
Now the priority is to improve the water quality. In the first six months of the year, quality has improved in 148 of the 208 wells, including Shangkou Well.
It's still not drinkable but it's safe for laundry and irrigation; it's clear and there's nothing floating in the water, according to Qiu Chao of the Bureau of City Administration, the main operator of the well project.
The city has also renovated 51 (of the 208) wells that have special cultural value.
They include the three Sino-US Friendship Wells at the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard by the West Lake. The three wells form a triangle.
They were so named because they were especially drilled for the visit of former US President Richard Nixon on his visit to Hangzhou in 1972. There was a water shortage in the city and the new wells ensured sufficient clean water for the US delegation.
After the water supply improved, the wells fell into disrepair and became contaminated. They were renovated this year.
Now, the wells are operating, drawing pure water and the area is planted with greenery.
"We still have a lot of work to do to protect old wells," said Qiu. Thanks to information provided by citizens, 40 more wells are to be restored.
Phoenix Ancient Spring, a well dug by a Buddhist nunnery on the Phoenix Mountain, is the most notable on the list of wells restored this year.
At the foot of the mountain, the well was unusable and the water was muddy. So the well was dredged, the stonework repaired; drainage ditches were built and sanitation improved.
A traditional-style pavilion will be built near the well, creating a pleasant place for visitors to rest.
Cool water in underground aquifers was used to keep food and fruits cool. Some wells were famous for their pure water.
Today most are unused, damaged, overgrown with moss and the water in many is undrinkable. People have forgotten the days when water was drawn by hand and didn't come out of a tap.
But Hangzhou's Well Protection Project has repaired 208 wells that are more than 50 years old, and it is repairing others for their practical, cultural and historic values.
One of the newly restored wells is Shangkou Well in Ganshui (Sweet Water) Lane.
In the old days the place was a salt marsh and there was little fresh water, until Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) paid a visit and commanded experts to find a well. And they did.
Even today the water is used by residents, especially old people who remember drinking the well water.
But nowadays this well and others are contaminated by E. coli bacteria and the ammonia and nitrogen levels are unsafe.
Now the priority is to improve the water quality. In the first six months of the year, quality has improved in 148 of the 208 wells, including Shangkou Well.
It's still not drinkable but it's safe for laundry and irrigation; it's clear and there's nothing floating in the water, according to Qiu Chao of the Bureau of City Administration, the main operator of the well project.
The city has also renovated 51 (of the 208) wells that have special cultural value.
They include the three Sino-US Friendship Wells at the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard by the West Lake. The three wells form a triangle.
They were so named because they were especially drilled for the visit of former US President Richard Nixon on his visit to Hangzhou in 1972. There was a water shortage in the city and the new wells ensured sufficient clean water for the US delegation.
After the water supply improved, the wells fell into disrepair and became contaminated. They were renovated this year.
Now, the wells are operating, drawing pure water and the area is planted with greenery.
"We still have a lot of work to do to protect old wells," said Qiu. Thanks to information provided by citizens, 40 more wells are to be restored.
Phoenix Ancient Spring, a well dug by a Buddhist nunnery on the Phoenix Mountain, is the most notable on the list of wells restored this year.
At the foot of the mountain, the well was unusable and the water was muddy. So the well was dredged, the stonework repaired; drainage ditches were built and sanitation improved.
A traditional-style pavilion will be built near the well, creating a pleasant place for visitors to rest.
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