The Niyang River, or "Tears of the Goddess," runs 307.5 kilometers through the Kongpo region of China's Xizang Autonomous Region. With an annual runoff of 22 billion cubic meters and a catchment area of 15,459 square kilometers, it serves as the mother river for communities across Nyingchi. Since 2016, local authorities have channeled 1.05 billion yuan into 110 ecological security projects along the waterway, covering pollution control, flood prevention and habitat restoration.

River management works have reinforced 45.29 kilometers of waterway, including 32.74 kilometers of newly built embankments, 1.61 kilometers of strengthened dikes and 0.69 kilometers of flood diversion channels. A pollution control program has targeted discharges across the basin, while a monitoring and early warning system now tracks the river's carrying capacity. These measures form part of a broader water conservation framework that includes the regional Water-Saving Action Plan and a dedicated ecological flow guarantee plan for the Niyang River.

Restoration figures for 2018–2023 include 912,000 fingerlings released into the river system, more than 18,533 hectares of new forest planted, over 12,867 hectares of desertified land brought under control, upwards of 27,333 hectares of forest tended, and 80 hectares of grassland and wetland rehabilitated.

Author | Feng Huiting 

Photo | Feng Huiting