Full coverage: G20 Hangzhou Summit

Hangzhou, the capital city of east China’s Zhejiang province, is bracing itself for the 2016 G20 Summit. These days the city has been working on further improving the water quality of West Lake, the most well-known scenic spot in the region. Hangzhou hopes to welcome G20 guests from home and abroad with a fresher West Lake.

Changqiao Stream is one of the four rivers that run into West Lake. Its water quality has a direct impact on that of the Lake. It is hard to imagine that the crystal-clear Changqiao Stream actually contains sewage after treatment.

“We are looking at water after sewage treatment. This was sewage. But it is clean now,” said Jiang Qinneng, head of Changqiao Stream Water Treatment Center.

Jiang Qinneng, the head of Changqiao Stream Water Treatment Center, says the sewage mainly comes from the community alongside the river. The local government introduced ecological solutions in 2004 to purify the sewage.

“Those aquatic plants not only make the wetlands look more beautiful, but also purify the water,” Jiang said.

The work on sewage entering Changqiao river is only part of the program to purify the water of the West Lake. Hangzhou began diverting the water of Qiantang River to the West Lake after treatment in 2002. The project has enhanced water transparency from around 40 centimeters to more than 80. For the upcoming G20 Summit, authorities have decided to further raise the purification criterion of the water.

“We would like to further cut the level of nitrogen in the West Lake. That would make it harder for algae to flourish. It will make the water clearer so hopefully we will see a more beautiful West Lake,” said Chen Lin, deputy chief of Water Management Office of West Lake.