Liu Qin
The Third Pole
January 22, 2015
Algal blooms on the Huai River, a major tributary of the Yangtze, could destroy aquaculture and pollute water along the controversial south-north water transfer project.
The Huai River is likely to suffer an algal bloom this year, with disastrous consequences for aquaculture of Hongze Lake in central China, says Huo Daishan of environmental group Huai River Warriors.
Algal blooms, caused by pollution from agriculture and industry, destroy ecosystems and suffocate river life.
Early-warning systems that span provincial administrative boundaries are needed to break down bureaucratic barriers between the upstream and downstream sections of the river, Huo adds. The river flows through Hunan, Anhui and before joining the Yangtze in Jiangsu.
“The existing system is localised, with governments upstream and downstream managing their own patches. Those boundaries between need to be removed, with a more active approach taken to responding to potential algal blooms,” he adds.
Hongze Lake plays an important role in regulating flow on the eastern route of China’s massive south-north water transfer project. Algal pollution here would affect water quality along that entire section.
The US$80 billion scheme, which started delivering water to Beijing late last year, aims to bring water from the south of the country to the north in order to alleviate water shortages in arid provinces.
In 2014 an algal bloom spread over 200 kilometres along the Huai River, from Zhoukou in Henan to Fuyang in Anhui, but it didn’t attract much attention from the government, Huo said. That algae has now flowed into Hongze Lake.
(Image by 霍岱珊)
This was the first algal bloom Huo has seen on this river: “Swimmers dived in and came out looking like People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers,” he said, likening the coating of algae swimmers emerged with to the green uniforms worn by PLA soldiers.
“I regard algae as a type of AIDS in the water – once it’s broken out it’s hard to get rid of or treat,” he said. “They’ve been trying to deal with the problem at Taihu and Dianchi lakes for over 20 years, and they’re still at it…”
Huo, originally a photojournalist known for exposing local government lies about pollution on the Huai River, is the founder of environmental group Huai River Warriors.
Huo said an algal bloom on the Huai River this year is very likely – since the 2014 outbreak wasn’t dealt with, the algae sank to the bottom when the weather turned cold.
When spring arrives and temperatures rise the entire length of the Huai River will be affected, with disastrous consequences for aquaculture on Hongze Lake.
Huo has contacted local authorities, calling for an early-warning system covering the entire river to be established, but has received no response.
