The Heihe River, nestled deep in the Qinling Mountains, is the "Mother River" for Xi'an's 13 million residents. For 18 years, 31 staff members from Xi'an Heihe Water Source Protection and Management Station have made the green mountains their neighbors and the clear waters their companions, building a safety barrier for drinking water in the isolated mountains.
The picture shows the staff conducting water quality sampling and monitoring at the reservoir.
Covering an area of 1,481 square kilometers, the Heihe Water Source Protection Area poses great supervision challenges. Regardless of extreme heat or bitter cold, the guardians conduct inspections four times a week without fail, logging an average of over 20,000 kilometers of patrols per person annually. When encountering falling rocks or landslides, they detour along rugged mountain roads; where vehicles cannot reach, they carry monitoring equipment on their shoulders and backs to climb on foot. Pang Kaihong, captain of the waste removal team, travels nearly 70,000 kilometers through dangerous mountains and rivers each year to haul over 900 tons of waste. Qi Jiangxue, head of Chenhe Sub-station, leads his team to patrol across the 1,200-meter-high Qinling Ridge. In harsh winters, they often stumble and bruise themselves, and can only eat steamed buns with pickles during meal times. Zhang Xiping, head of Houzhenzi Sub-station, has been stationed in this "isolated island" for years, with a flashlight and a wooden stick as his essential safety gear.
These guardians not only persist in silence but also innovate protection models. The station has developed a team culture of "Be a Heihe person, dare to take responsibility; Forge the Heihe spirit, dedicate selflessly" and established the "Red Alliance" mechanism to link enterprises and public institutions within the protection area in building an ecological protection network. They have provided support to the Hanjiang-to-Weihe Water Diversion Project (a key south-to-north water transfer project) to solve environmental governance issues, which was listed by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as a typical case of supporting enterprises under the "six stabilities" and "six guarantees" initiative in Shaanxi Province. During the COVID-19 prevention and control period, they volunteered in local villages for 36 consecutive days and nights. In recognition, local residents presented them with a banner inscribed with "Serve villagers in epidemic prevention, set an example in fulfilling missions". Additionally, they distribute environmental protection supplies such as shopping bags and garbage bags printed with water-saving and water-protection slogans to farmers and tourists to promote water conservation awareness.
Technological empowerment has made protection more precise. The Heihe Water Source has long realized 24/7 water quality monitoring. The video and voice broadcast system along the Chenhe section can promptly dissuade behaviors that may cause pollution. Unmanned monitoring ships and emergency early-warning platforms—these "smart brains"—operate continuously. By maximizing video surveillance coverage and conducting regular emergency drills, potential risks of man-made pollution have been minimized.
Eighteen years of perseverance have yielded remarkable results: the water quality of the Heihe Water Source has consistently exceeded Class Ⅱ standards, with a 100% compliance rate. These "lonely guardians" have dedicated their youth and persistence to ensuring every sip of drinking water for Xi'an residents is safe. This clear water in the depths of the Qinling Mountains has thus become a vital source sustaining the city's development.
（Note: The content of this document is from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment）
