Environmental Management Administration

To improve excess heavy metal in river water and protect watershed environmental quality, the Southern Center implements five core measures: data collection, source tracing, water quality monitoring, inspections, and promoting improvements. Collaborating with the Irrigation Agency, the center conducts source-tracing investigations into irrigation pollution, targeting potential high-pollution businesses and utilizing advanced technology for monitoring and inspections. These cases are handled jointly with environmental protection bureaus and referred to the police for prosecution of suspected violations, ensuring offenders take corrective actions.

At the Wukong Bridge River Monitoring Station on the Sanyeh River, a tributary of the Erren River, the river pollution index frequently exceeded 6.0, indicating severe pollution. The Southern Center identified nearby businesses, one on the high-risk business list. Detailed inspections revealed that the company was discharging dark green, highly acidic wastewater with a pH of 1.82 through a bypass consisting of a gravity concentrator tank pipeline connected to a domestic sewage line beneath the bridge. Additionally, wastewater in the processing area of the factory was not collected and rather overflowed into surface drainage ditches, resulting in soil pollution.

On Aug. 1, 2023, the company was ordered to cease operations and given a deadline to implement corrective measures. A comparison between the average RPI at the Wukong Bridge Station, downstream from the company, in 2022 (6.6) to 2023 (5.6), shows improvements. As of June 2024, the Wukong Bridge Station is no longer classified as a severely polluted site, reflecting significant water quality recovery.

Through the cooperative efforts of the Southern Center and the Irrigation Agency, multiple measures have been successfully implemented to address water quality issues. These include comprehensive inspections and monitoring of potential high-pollution businesses, followed by enforcement of necessary improvements. In the future, the center will continue closely collaborating with relevant agencies to promote environmental protection works and ensure sustained river water quality improvements, thus protecting watershed environmental health.