Guangzhou Water Collection: What You Can Do to Make a Difference

You know what? This Guangzhou place, they got a thing about their water. I heard some folks talking, and it got me thinking, how they get all that water, huh? They call it Guangzhou Water Collection. Sounds fancy, don’t it?

They say this Guangzhou is a big city. Lots of folks, lots of buildings. So, they need a lot of water, I reckon. Just like how we need water for our crops back home, these city folks need it for, well, I don’t know what all, but a lot of things, I guess.

They say the water comes from a river, they call it the Pearl River. Now, I’ve seen some rivers in my time, but this Pearl River, it must be something special. This water, it ain’t just for drinking, no sir. They use it for everything! They even got some special project, moving water from one place to another. They called it SNWTP. I don’t understand that kind of stuff, but sound important.

• They clean the water, make sure it’s good.
• They got pipes, lots of pipes, to carry the water all over.
• They even clean up the river, take out the mud and stuff.

I heard they got some special way of cleaning the water, making it safe to drink. Now that’s important, ain’t it? Gotta have clean water. Back home, we used to get our water from the well. It was good water, but this city water, they do all sorts of things to it. They got machines and all that. They even got some rules, called “Three Red Lines.” It’s all about how much water they can use. Sounds complicated.

They say this Guangzhou place, they’re smart about their water. They don’t waste it, you see. They got ways to use it over and over, I reckon. Like, they got this thing called Sponge City. Sounds funny, right? But it’s about using the rain and stuff, not letting it all run away. Smart, huh?

I also heard about some company, they called Ecolab, they are big shot in water things. They sell a lot, 13.5 billion, my goodness, that’s a lot of money! And they got 50,000 people working for them! That’s more people than in my whole county!

This Guangzhou Water Collection, it’s a big deal. They got all these plans and projects. They even have rules about who can build things and how they gotta do it. Gotta make sure the water is taken care of, you see.

They got this thing called “water shortage.” Means they don’t have enough water sometimes. So they gotta be careful. They got these… districts, they call them, seven of them, and they decide how much water each one gets. Like slicing a pie, I guess.

They even have a “water company.” These folks, they make sure the water that comes out of the faucet is good. They say it’s safe, meets some “national standards.” I don’t know about those standards, but safe water is good water, that’s what I always say.

They talking about this thing, “urban systems” and “water sensitivity.” I don’t know, sounds complicated. But I guess it means they gotta be careful with the water in the city. Makes sense, right? Gotta take care of what you got.

This Guangzhou place, they also got some Ecological Belt. Make the river water useful. Nature-based, they say. I don’t understand that. But I guess it’s good for the city. They are so clever to make the city green.

And they compare Guangzhou with some other place, Xining City, about this Sponge City stuff. They trying to learn from each other, I guess. That’s good. Always good to learn new things, even for an old gal like me.

So, this Guangzhou Water Collection, it’s more than just getting water, you see. It’s about planning, and cleaning, and being smart about it. It’s about making sure there’s enough for everyone, and that it’s safe to use. It’s a big job, I tell you. A big, important job. They even had a meeting about it in 2006, a long time ago, and decided some important things about water. 2006! That’s before some of these young folks were even born!

They got a lot of people working on this, I’m sure. Engineers and planners and all sorts of folks. It ain’t easy, keeping a big city like Guangzhou going. But they doing it, they figuring it out. They making sure those folks have water, and that’s what matters, right?

Just like back home, we take care of our well, these Guangzhou folks, they taking care of their river and their pipes and all that. It’s all about the water, you see. Gotta have water to live. Gotta have clean water to live good.

They also have a “strength,” and a “weakness,” and “opportunities.” I don’t know what that means exactly, but I guess every place has its good points and bad points. And they’re always looking for ways to do better. That’s good. Always gotta strive to do better, that’s what I always say.