An imminent awareness of love for water

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The urgent awareness of water is such that I have always greatly appreciated a statement by Canadian scholar Marc De Villiers in his book \"Water – An Urgent Survival Crisis\": \"If you can turn a river into a sewage channel, you can also turn it back into a river.\" The people of Shanghai have excelled at making the most of \"water\". Pure water and pleasant waters – Jinshan Beach. It used to be an embarrassment for Shanghai that it was a coastal city without a beach. This awkward situation was only resolved after Jinshan Beach was completed. Jinshan Beach is located at the southeastern end of Jinshan District, Shanghai, covering an area of 2.8 square kilometers. Originally, the water here was turbid and the sand was coarse. To create a coastal landscape featuring \"blue seas and skies, as well as clear water and white sand,\" Jinshan District built a reservoir covering 1.5 square kilometers along the coast, incorporating areas for seawater sedimentation. This allowed the muddy-looking seawater to become clearer and purer after sedimentation, disinfection, and pollution removal. Through a weekly water circulation process, the water takes on a bright blue color thanks to the reflection of sunlight. Fine sand from Hainan was specifically laid on the beach to create the \"Blue Sea and Golden Sand\" water park; the eastern area serves as a sea water sedimentation zone and a fishing area at sea ； The Central District is the beach swimming pool ； The West Zone is the marine sports area. Clear water attracts visitors. Today, Jinshan Beach boasts beautiful scenery and a large number of visitors who come here to swim, fish, sail, or surf. It has not only contributed significantly to the rapid development of the local tourism and service industries but also become a prominent landmark for Shanghai. Cherish and save water — Baosteel Group. As is well known, the steel industry is a major water consumer. In Baosteel’s hot rolling workshop, steel sheets race along the production line like a fire dragon, with continuous water spraying for cooling accompanying them at all times. So, how much water should Baosteel use? How to treat industrial wastewater? What is the extent of water circulation? It has been learned that Baosteel consumes approximately 60 million cubic meters of water per year, with recycled water being the primary source of water used in various processes. Currently, Baosteel has over 100 closed-loop water systems, with a water recycling rate of 97%, bringing it close to the goal of \"zero emissions.\" The water consumption per ton of steel was reduced to 3.72 cubic meters per ton in 2005, achieving the target of reducing this figure from over 4 to below 3. As China’s first steel company to make it onto the Fortune Global 500 list, Baosteel has, through more than a decade of systematic improvements, raised its water management standards to an internationally advanced level. The efficient use and thorough conservation of water resources have become an important factor for Baosteel Group in avoiding the \"green barriers\" imposed by the WTO and maintaining sustainable development. Hydrophilic water protection – Chongming Wetlands. Wetlands are known as the “kidneys of the earth,” possessing ecological functions such as breaking down pollutants and purifying water quality. Shanghai is China’s largest industrial city, and the water discharged into the Yangtze River inevitably contains various pollutants; meanwhile, the Chongming Dongtan wetland is located in a particularly strategic geographical position. The existence of the Dongtan Wetland functions as an efficient sewage treatment plant located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Today, the main industries on Chongming Island are green agriculture, tourism, and a small amount of light industry. In the Dongtan wetland on Chongming Island, egrets fly gracefully, water buffaloes lie quietly, white clouds drift gently, and the reeds make a soft rustling sound – all of which create an atmosphere that is truly unforgettable. It is undeniable, however, that many people lack awareness of water and mistakenly believe it to be an inexhaustible resource, which leads to its reckless consumption, waste, and pollution. The fact is that although the total amount of water on Earth neither increases nor decreases, the water system itself is not constant; humans are always capable of taking action in relation to water. All countries and regions around the world have gone through a process of using water, starting from irrational use (excessive extraction of water resources and water pollution), and moving towards more rational utilization through management measures. Zibo is no exception; the \"water bottleneck\" caused by water quantity shortages has been overcome through measures such as industrial water conservation and water supply from the Yellow River ； Water-quality-related water scarcity caused by water pollution is curbed and alleviated through measures such as limiting emissions, wastewater treatment, and river management. The actions of the people in Shanghai to cherish, conserve, embrace, and protect water demonstrate that, with the emergence and implementation of new water management concepts such as Zibo’s \"using reclaimed water to nourish the city,\" we will eventually be able to \"turn those drainage ditches back into rivers,\" and harmony between humans and water will no longer be a distant goal……