A water conservation project in Xunwu county, Jiangxi province, is aiming to benefit more than 300,000 local residents and improve the quality of the drinking water of some 50 million people, along the massive Dongjiang River basin.

Xunwu county covers nearly 40 percent of the Dongjiang river source and is considered vital to the drinking water quality in the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.

Announcing what is being called the Water Ecosystem Restoration Strategy, the company behind the Xunwu project, Danone Waters China, said it would involve a series of initiatives including forest protection on Yajibo mountain, restoration and sustainable use of wetlands in the Dongjiang river source, and education campaigns on environmental protection in rural Xunwu.

Danone Waters, part of Groupe Danone, the multinational food and drinks conglomerate based in Paris, owns global water brands such as Evian & Volvic.

The project is being run in conjunction with the Xunwu county government, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Friends of the Earth (HK).

Zhang Yan, a project manager for IUCN China, said Danone Waters is among the first to initiate and engage in water ecosystem conservation projects in the Dongjiang river source.

Following on from other projects to improve water supply and quality in the region - including the Longmen Jiaquan Watershed Project - Zhang said the Xunwu ecosystem protection project is a further example of the French company's collaborative efforts with NGOs on water ecosystem conservation.

Floris Wesseling, president of Danone Waters China, said the organization firmly believes that healthy food begins with healthy nature.

"Water lies at the foundation of Danone's beverage business, so ensuring sustainable consumption of water resources is one of its most important responsibilities."

Gu Tao, director of sustainability sector at Danone Waters China, said the project would involve industry professionals, governments, consumers and local communities, and "focus on water ecosystem restoration, sustainable community development and public engagement".

Last year, Danone Waters China and IUCN cooperated on the Longmen Jiaquan project which turned a trial project aimed at building local water capacity into a sustainable alternative livelihood for local people.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 01/29/2015 page15)