Steady headway is being made in developing Hengqin New Area's Green Channel sections, both of which are placed at the provincial demonstration level. Meanwhile, city-level pilot sites are progressing throughout Zhuhai.

An inspection recently was carried out on how well the Tianmu River and Mangzhou Wetland Park are being integrated into the pilot construction of Green Channels in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Two green corridors sited in the Tianmu River area to connect five water ecological environments while three green strips connect Big and Small Hengqin mountains.

The dredging and landscaping of the Tianmu River will be completed by the end of the year, according to a project head.

Mangzhou Wetland Park [Photo by Zhong Fan / Zhuhai Daily]

Mangzhou Wetland Park will also be accessed and divided into a restoration area, science and education center, and place for water fun.

The 66-hectare (163-acre) Hengqin Mangzhou Wetland Park consists of rare water networks, dense vegetation, and biological diversity. The park contains lakeshore ecology and island ecological wetlands and is rich in flora and fauna, specifically mangroves, birds, and fish.

The entire park includes a coastal ecological protection belt, wetland sightseeing belt, and core area reserved for birds to feed and rest. Functions range from ecological environmental protection to scientific research, education, and tourism. It has been open since 2017.

Since the beginning of this year, Hengqin has spent 560 million yuan ($79.5 million) to renovate human settlements in the old village on the upper reach of the Tianmu River. Rain runoff is isolated to eliminate the direct discharge of domestic sewage. More than 4 million yuan ($567,850) was spent cleaning up 6.15 sq km (2.37 sq miles) of water area. At the same time, Sponge City concepts guided the design and establishment of landscape bridges, marina, rest station, greenways, beach, and sightseeing tower.

Elsewhere in Zhuhai, Xiangzhou District's Xiangshan Lake, Jinwan District's 2nd Main River, Hongqi River, and Sanzao Bay Seawall; Doumen District's Huangyang River; Zhuhai National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone's Jishan and Dong'an drainage channels; and Gaolan Port Economic Zone's Lianwanchong Creek are all designated city-level Green Channel pilot sites. This year will see the completion of 60.18 km (37.5 miles) of those channels right on schedule.