2008 — Countermeasures and Suggestions for Lishui River Pollution Control in Zhangjiajie Urban Area (Part 3)
3. Make vigorous efforts to control three major pollution sources: medical wastewater, industrial wastewater, and livestock and poultry farming in the urban area. (1) Medical wastewater poses significant hidden dangers. Unlike ordinary domestic sewage, medical wastewater contains pathogens, heavy metals, disinfectants, acids, alkalis, and radioactive substances. Without effective treatment, it will seriously pollute water bodies and become a source of epidemic spread
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
III. Make efforts to treat the three major pollution sources: medical wastewater, industrial wastewater, and livestock and poultry breeding in the urban area.
(1) The hidden danger of medical wastewater pollution is relatively large.
Medical wastewater is different from ordinary domestic sewage. It contains pathogens, heavy metals, disinfectants, acids, alkalis, and radioactive substances. If not effectively treated, it will seriously pollute water bodies and become an important route for the spread of epidemics. According to a survey, by the end of 2007, there were 107 medical institutions in the urban area, of which 12 produced medical wastewater. According to preliminary estimates by the health department, medical institutions in the urban area discharge about 260,000 to 300,000 tons of medical wastewater each year. According to national regulations, medical wastewater must first be treated by the medical institution and meet the requirements of the "Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Medical Institutions" before it can be discharged externally and enter the urban sewage pipe network. In terms of medical wastewater treatment, currently only the Municipal People's Hospital and the Municipal Second Hospital have sewage treatment facilities that can operate normally and achieve compliant discharge, with an annual treatment capacity of about 140,000 to 180,000 tons. The facilities of Zhangjiajie Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital cannot operate normally due to aging and damage, and new sewage treatment facilities are still under construction. Other medical institutions only carry out simple treatment (septic tank plus chemical disinfection) before discharging into the urban sewage pipe network, causing water pollution due to incomplete treatment. Even with simple treatment methods, many hospitals cannot persist in doing so regularly. Although most of these 12 medical institutions are in the old urban area, and their wastewater enters the Baotagang sewage treatment plant through the north bank interception trunk pipe, because the plant's treatment capacity is limited, more than half of the sewage in the interception trunk pipe is ultimately directly discharged into the Lishui River without treatment. Moreover, the two differ in treatment methods and standards, so the incompletely treated medical wastewater mixed within becomes a potential "killer" of the Lishui River. On the south bank, Nanzhuangping Hospital (producing an average of 2 tons of medical wastewater per day) and Guanliping Hospital (same as above, 1.5 tons) both discharge directly into the Lishui River after simple treatment. Medical wastewater, due to incomplete treatment, has become a very large hidden danger of water pollution in the urban area. Countermeasures:
1. The health department should urge existing medical institutions without sewage treatment facilities to complete their facilities within a time limit, and those that do not meet requirements should be suspended for rectification. For new medical institutions that produce medical wastewater, when applying for practice qualification licenses, environmental protection approval must be strictly controlled, and those that do not meet requirements shall not be approved or licensed.
2. Strengthen monitoring of the sanitary disinfection effect of medical wastewater. Medical institutions should implement self-inspection work and improve self-inspection capabilities. The disease control department should strengthen industry monitoring on a monthly basis without prior notice. The Municipal CDC should be relocated as soon as possible so that its idle equipment and facilities can be put into use and play the role of professional industry supervision.
3. The environmental protection department should strengthen supervision. Those discharging medical wastewater that does not meet standards into the urban sewage pipe network shall be penalized in accordance with the "Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law" and other laws and regulations, promoting medical institutions to improve treatment facilities. The health supervision department should make the disposal of medical wastewater an important part of health supervision and law enforcement, and organize two special law enforcement inspections each year.
(2) Industrial wastewater pollution has few points but large volume.
At present, the main large industrial sewage dischargers in the urban area are Zhangjiajie Maoyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. and the Yongding District designated pig slaughterhouse, two locations. According to 2007 environmental statistics, Maoyuan Chemical discharged 80,000 tons of industrial wastewater and 214.3 tons of chemical oxygen demand; the pig slaughterhouse discharged 9,600 tons of industrial wastewater and 43.4 tons of chemical oxygen demand. On October 20, the research team's on-site investigation found that the industrial wastewater discharged by Maoyuan Chemical had a black-brown water body, stretching for hundreds of meters, like a "black dragon" wandering near the Baotagang sewage treatment plant on the north bank of the Lishui River, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding Lishui River. The industrial wastewater from both locations did not enter the north bank interception trunk pipe and was arbitrarily discharged into the Lishui River without treatment. Countermeasures:
1. The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government should instruct the Yongding District Party Committee and District Government to close the Maoyuan Chemical production plant as soon as possible, urge the company to accelerate the construction of its new plant, and at the same time ensure that sewage treatment facilities are designed, constructed, and put into use simultaneously with the new plant, and relocated as planned before June next year.
2. Start the construction of the Xixiping Yangjiaxi slaughterhouse project as soon as possible to create conditions for closing the current designated slaughterhouse. This project is led by the Yongding District Pig Breeding Association. Project approval and environmental impact assessment have already been completed. Relevant departments should provide various kinds of support for the construction of this project.
3. During the transition period before the Yangjiaxi slaughterhouse is completed and put into operation, the Yongding District Party Committee and District Government should instruct the district commerce bureau, the agency in charge of the current designated pig slaughterhouse, to renovate the original three-stage sewage sedimentation tank at the site so that it can function, and the wastewater after sedimentation may temporarily be connected to the interception trunk pipe between the Baotagang sewage plant and the Hongbiyan power station for external discharge.
(3) Pollution from livestock and poultry breeding within the urban area also cannot be ignored.
Taking pig farming as an example, according to estimates by the municipal animal husbandry department, in 2007, there were 13,444 pig-farming households in the 6 subdistrict offices of Yongding urban area, producing 44,949 tons of manure. In Guanliping Subdistrict alone, there were 379 pig-farming households, producing 2,676 tons of manure. Pig manure contains harmful substances such as nitrogen and ammonia, and the manure produced by these pig farmers is basically discharged into sewers without treatment and enters the Lishui River through various routes, causing pollution. Countermeasures:
1. The Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government should instruct relevant departments, in accordance with Article 15 of the "Regulations on Urban Appearance and Environmental Sanitation" (Order No. 101 of the State Council in 1992), to gradually prohibit livestock and poultry breeding within the urban area within a time limit.
2. For those willing to continue engaging in pig farming, it is suggested that the Yongding District Pig Breeding Association take the lead and adopt a joint-stock cooperative approach to establish farms in the suburbs, improve relevant environmental protection facilities, and develop specialized, large-scale, and industrialized breeding. For those converting to other industries, relevant departments should provide support in projects, funds, technology, training, and other aspects.