In 2022, the Anhui Provincial Water Resources Department formulated and implemented the "Implementation Plan for Comprehensive Regulation of River Sand Mining in Anhui Province", jointly with the departments of public security, transportation, market management, credit and other places along the Yangtze River, to carry out special regulation of sand mining in the Yangtze River, to resolutely crack down on illegal sand mining, and to crack down on illegal sand mining. The management order of sand mining in the Yangtze River in Anhui Province is stable, controllable and generally good.
First, we should strengthen inspection and law enforcement, and strike hard under high pressure to ensure stability. All localities along the Yangtze River adhere to the normal inspection and law enforcement by combining daily supervision with centralized crackdown, open investigation with secret visits, and water and land control. For 11 key regulatory waters, such as inter-provincial, estuary and river sections with frequent illegal mining, law enforcement boats are anchored and squatted at fixed points, so as to strike effectively and accurately. At least twice a month, the Provincial Water Resources Department adopts the "four not two straight" approach to investigate openly and secretly, and promptly notifies and supervises the rectification of the problems found. In important festivals and important time nodes, special actions to combat illegal sand mining in rivers "Blue Shield" have been organized for many times. In 2022, 7865 law enforcement boats, 9165 law enforcement vehicles and 65156 of law enforcement officers were dispatched along the Yangtze River, and 11 cases of illegal sand mining, 23 illegal mobile sand mining vessels and 41 illegal sand transport vessels were seized, which effectively deterred illegal elements from stealing sand.
The second is to improve the level of "technical prevention" and fully cover key waters. The Provincial Water Resources Department coordinates and integrates the video surveillance information resources of water conservancy, fishery administration, public security and waterway along the Yangtze River in a timely manner, develops the sand mining supervision system of the Yangtze River in Anhui Province, carries out 24-hour online video patrol by using 82 monitoring stations with night high-definition infrared video function along the Yangtze River, and effectively improves the level of "technical prevention" of sand mining management. To achieve full coverage of key sensitive waters, timely detection of illegal sand mining activities, so as to crack down on the outcrop of illegal sand mining.
Third, we should carry out source control and dynamically clear the "three nothingness" vessels. Strengthen the supervision of shipbuilding enterprises, deepen the regulation of construction and refitting of sand dredgers, and strictly prevent the construction and reconstruction of sand dredgers. In 2022, 15 "three nothingness" sand dredgers were dismantled in time along the Yangtze River, realizing the dynamic clearance of "three nothingness" sand dredgers in the Yangtze River section of Anhui Province. In view of the phenomenon of floating cranes gathering on the river surface in Wuhu City and Ma'anshan City, such as illegal barging and illegal sand mining and transportation, the municipal governments of Wuhu City and Ma'anshan City organized water, maritime and public security departments to launch a "100-day attack" campaign to crack down on illegal sand-related activities, driving away 40 floating cranes and taking care of 16 floating cranes, thus eliminating the risk of illegal barging and illegal sand mining.
Fourth, strengthen publicity and guidance to create a good social atmosphere. To organize water conservancy departments around the country to increase the publicity of laws and regulations such as the Yangtze River Protection Law and the Regulations on Sand Mining Management in the Yangtze River Channel by setting up exhibition boards, hanging banners, distributing publicity materials and receiving public consultation in combination with the "China Water Week", "Anhui Water Law Publicity Month" and daily supervision work. To form a strong atmosphere for the public to pay attention to and participate in the fight against illegal sand mining.