Hongshui River makes breakthrough in resuming navigation

The feasibility study report of the navigation building project of the Longtan Hydropower Station on the Hongshui River was recently approved by authorities, marking a key breakthrough in the reopening of routes that navigate the Hongshui River.

The total length of the Hongshui River is 659 kilometers, and it is located in the upper reaches of the Pearl River. Starting from southwestern Guizhou and ending at Laibin, Guangxi, it includes a 458.6-km stretch in Hechi.

The Hongshui River and its upper reaches, the Nanpan and Beipan rivers, are highly navigable rivers. Before the construction of highways, they comprised the only river transportation channels in the border areas of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi.

In order to develop the water resources of the Hongshui River, the country began large-scale construction of hydropower stations on its main stream in 1975. Six hydropower hubs were built from top to bottom, including Longtan, Yantan, Dahua, Bailongtan, Letan, and Qiaogong.

The Longtan Hydropower Station is located in the upper reaches of the Hongshui River and started construction in 2008. Due to various reasons, the navigation buildings of Longtan Hydropower Station have not been completed yet, and the Hongshui River is not yet fully navigable.

In order to solve the problem of long-term blockage of the Hongshui River and achieve early resumption of navigation, the Ministry of Transport has made a number of efforts.

After the completion of the navigation facilities of Longtan Hydropower Station, it will open up water transportation to the sea for the middle route of southwest China, help Guizhou, Guangxi and other places to reduce logistics costs, and serve the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Longtan Hydropower Station. [Photo/Hechi Daily]