Zhang Qian

zhqcindy@163.com

“Protecting rivers is more than just picking up garbage; it is more important to prevent littering pollutants in the first place and treat the rivers with scientific methods proven effective by scientific research,” said Huang Haowen, a student from Yantian Foreign Language School, at a campaign aimed to protect rivers on October 27.

Huang is actively engaged in preserving water resources. He is not only the head of an environmental protection society at school, but was also elected to be a Student River Chief.

Like Huang, a total of 10,000 young pioneer students from 100 primary and middle schools were nominated to be “River Chiefs” by the city’s Youth Pioneer Affairs Office in July this year.

With their honorable titles, the students are obligated to raise awareness about protecting rivers and reducing pollution among their peers, parents as well as the public, according to knowledge gained through research-based projects.

At a ceremony held on Friday at Nanshan Wenli Experimental School, some of the student river chiefs presented their research outcomes to the student body, faculty and parents. The teenagers also presented proposals on furthering the treatment and protection of rivers.

Students also performed comedy skits that day with the aim of educating the audience about the significance of conserving water resources through humorous and interactive performances.

Shenzhen is currently in the process of establishing a long-term River Chief program that will potentially involve every social force in protecting rivers.