The Hutuo River is the mother river of Shijiazhuang the capital city of Hebei. About 20 years ago, it was dirty and almost dried up. Thanks to the government's work, it has become much cleaner.
Wu Wenzhong, a 58-year-old villager, lives near the river. "My friends and I often played with water, swam and caught fish in it when I was a child. I liked catching fish best," he said. He remembers that the villagers had to cross the river by boat at that time. But as time passed by, it got dirty and started to dry up.
To remediate (修复) the river, the government do a lot of things. They clean the river up and build levees (防洪堤) . They plant trees, grass and flowers to green the riverside. They set up fences (防护栏) and put up "No Swimming" signs along the river to protect people. They stop factories from putting waste water into the river. They keep an eye on the river to make sure it stays clean for the fish, birds and people who live nearby. They also have a long-term plan to keep the river in good condition.
Now, there are more than 20 kinds of birds living around the river. It becomes a home for birds again. People can enjoy a day outdoors with the beauty of nature along the river. Wu and other villagers are happy to see the river looking good again.
The Hutuo River's story shows that when people work together to take care of nature, good things can happen.
