Teacher brings new life to dead streams
By Pan Zheng |
August 1, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IF you walk into Yiranju Residential Area this summer, you may see the red and yellow lotuses blooming and red carp swimming in the clean streams.
However, what you can hardly imagine is that, two years ago, the three artificial streams in Yiranju were all stagnant water. And thanks to a senior citizen, Hu Mingtong, and his continuous efforts, the beautiful scenes mentioned above can be seen anywhere in Yiranju.
These three waterways were dug during the construction of Yiranju, with a total length of more than 500 meters. However, since they are only about 20-30 centimeters deep and there is no causeway on either side, fallen leaves and other litter blew into them.
Thus, huge amounts of green algae settled in the streams and made them polluted. So the property management company had to change all the water every year, which cost a lot of time and money. And changing the water made it impossible for fish to live and breed.
About three years ago, Hu moved into Yiranju. When he saw the waters, he began to think of measures to improve their environment.
Hu was a teacher before retiring, a profession that had nothing to do with rivers. But to achieve his goal of making a better environment, he researched various books and data and worked out how to build a dyke, providing a fall to make the water flow.
After negotiating with the property management company, Hu started work two years ago.
He bought cement and bricks and built up a dyke near the source of one stream with his own hands.
Because the dyke stops the water, the level inside the dyke is higher than outside.
Then he dug some holes in the dyke at a position a little higher than the inner water level, so that when it rains, water will go through the holes and make the full stream flow.
In addition to making the streams clean, Hu also bought some water plants for the inner part and introduced fish into the water. Gradually, the condition of the stream has improved.
Early this year, Hu did the same work on another stream, with the same beneficial results.
Now, it has not only become a beautiful environment, but also become part of an ecology chain (r)? the fish in the water eat mosquito larva; their excrement becomes nutrition for water plants; and the water plants absorb other water pollutants.
But Hu hasn't stopped there. He hopes that more volunteers can join him, because making a beautiful living environment needs the efforts of all people.
However, what you can hardly imagine is that, two years ago, the three artificial streams in Yiranju were all stagnant water. And thanks to a senior citizen, Hu Mingtong, and his continuous efforts, the beautiful scenes mentioned above can be seen anywhere in Yiranju.
These three waterways were dug during the construction of Yiranju, with a total length of more than 500 meters. However, since they are only about 20-30 centimeters deep and there is no causeway on either side, fallen leaves and other litter blew into them.
Thus, huge amounts of green algae settled in the streams and made them polluted. So the property management company had to change all the water every year, which cost a lot of time and money. And changing the water made it impossible for fish to live and breed.
About three years ago, Hu moved into Yiranju. When he saw the waters, he began to think of measures to improve their environment.
Hu was a teacher before retiring, a profession that had nothing to do with rivers. But to achieve his goal of making a better environment, he researched various books and data and worked out how to build a dyke, providing a fall to make the water flow.
After negotiating with the property management company, Hu started work two years ago.
He bought cement and bricks and built up a dyke near the source of one stream with his own hands.
Because the dyke stops the water, the level inside the dyke is higher than outside.
Then he dug some holes in the dyke at a position a little higher than the inner water level, so that when it rains, water will go through the holes and make the full stream flow.
In addition to making the streams clean, Hu also bought some water plants for the inner part and introduced fish into the water. Gradually, the condition of the stream has improved.
Early this year, Hu did the same work on another stream, with the same beneficial results.
Now, it has not only become a beautiful environment, but also become part of an ecology chain (r)? the fish in the water eat mosquito larva; their excrement becomes nutrition for water plants; and the water plants absorb other water pollutants.
But Hu hasn't stopped there. He hopes that more volunteers can join him, because making a beautiful living environment needs the efforts of all people.
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