In order to strengthen the management of sand mining in rivers throughout the province during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, the Water Resources Department of Anhui Province issued the Notice on Launching the "Blue Shield-Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day" Regulation Action to Combat Illegal Sand Mining in Rivers in 2023. In strict accordance with the notification and deployment, all parts of the province organize and carry out renovation actions to ensure river safety, navigation safety and ecological safety.
From September 26 to October 4, the Water Resources Department of Anhui Province went to Tongling, Chizhou, Ma'anshan, Huainan, Bengbu and other cities and counties to organize joint law enforcement actions to inspect and supervise the waters within its jurisdiction with "no dead corners, zero blind areas and full coverage", and to visit and console the front-line duty personnel. The
Yangtze River Administration of Anhui Province and the Huaihe River Administration of Anhui Province use advanced technologies such as infrared video surveillance and unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct surprise night inspections of key sensitive waters. The cities along the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River took prompt action to conduct a full coverage inspection of the waters under their jurisdiction in conjunction with the public security and maritime departments in a timely manner. Water conservancy, public security, maritime affairs and fishery administration in Anqing take turns to take the lead, focusing on investigating and dealing with transport vessels and barge cranes carrying illegal river sand, as well as all kinds of sand mining vessels moving and berthing illegally without authorization. Wuhu insists that the main leaders take turns to sit on duty, regularly station in sensitive waters every day, strengthen the intensity and frequency of night patrols, and focus on inspecting Yuxikou and Huangnitan waters. Ma'anshan insists on using automatic cruise systems and UAVs every day to conduct high-altitude patrols in key sensitive waters under its jurisdiction, so as to completely eliminate blind areas and dead corners. Fuyang Municipal Water Conservancy Bureau, in conjunction with the Municipal Intermediate People's Court, the Municipal People's Procuratorate and the Municipal Public Security Bureau, launched a special law enforcement campaign to crack down on illegal sand mining during the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day, stopping an illegal fishing operation on the spot and handing it over to the relevant departments. During
the two festivals, water conservancy departments at all levels dispatched more than 2400 law enforcement officers, 410 law enforcement boats and 200 law enforcement vehicles, and seized one illegal sand and gravel carrier. Through the special law enforcement action of "Blue Shield-Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day" to crack down on illegal sand mining, an effective deterrent has been formed, which ensures that the situation of river sand mining management in the province is stable and better, and creates a safe, stable and peaceful Mid-Autumn National Day environment.