River's revival a case study in good governance

Continuous progress

Flowing 28.3 kilometers through a basin of more than 2 million people, the Guitang River was a childhood playground for residents like Deng You, who in the 1980s caught shrimp in its clear waters. However, rapid industrialization meant that the river was exposed to high levels of pollution. By the 1990s, the water quality had plunged to the worst national grade, and the river was placed on a national blacklist of polluted urban waterways.

When early, disjointed cleanup attempts failed in the 1990s, local authorities established a unified governance team in 2016. Since then, a chain of officials has built continuously on their predecessors' work rather than dismantling it to start their own projects.

Deng, deputy director of the Yuhua administrative committee of China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone Changsha area, joined the team as a coordinator. Her mission was to reconcile bureaucracies, demolish illegal structures, repair pipelines and restore the local ecosystem.

"I just wanted my mother river to breathe again — to be what it was in my childhood," she said.

The monumental undertaking saw millions of square meters of illegal construction torn down, every unregulated sewage outlet intercepted, and thousands of tons of fresh water pumped in daily. German experts were also invited to redesign the river's natural curves and bends as well as its ecological zones.

At the end of 2020, Deng passed her baton to Wang Bin, head of the district's river chief office. His role was to act as a bridge between residents, volunteers and government departments, finding and addressing the problems of the river and its surrounding areas in a timely manner.

"Early reports when I took the position were about broken pipes and illegal discharges. Now, residents ask for greener parks and more recreational space," Wang said. "That shift in public complaints is real evidence that our work is paying off."

Yang Weidong, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said that the governance of the river is a prime example of practicing a correct understanding of governance performance.

"What those officials do is to serve the people and put the public's demands first. They work not for immediate accolades but for long-term, sustainable public welfare," Yang said, adding that the change in the Guitang River shows the true potential of good governance.