[By Chang Wei from Jiaozuo Branch Company of Kangda EP]

      The No. 1 Sewage Treatment Plant, No. 2 Sewage Treatment Plant and Wanfang Industry Cluster Sewage Treatment Plant affiliated to Jiaozuo Branch Company of Kangda EP are responsible for collecting and treating sewage from the main urban area of Jiaozuo City. The three plants, as important barriers for controlling water pollution in Jiaozuo, keep steady running during the period of combating the novel coronavirus.

      After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in China, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the PRC issued the Notification on the Sound Supervision and Management of Medical and Urban Sewage for Preventing and Controlling the Epidemic NCP. During such period, sewage treatment plants are facing greater challenges. In consideration of this situation, Jiaozuo Branch Company of Kangda EP has carried out comprehensive and down-to-earth work including rapid actions, all-round deployment, strong guarantee, strict implementation and smooth communication to combat the NCP. All employees have intensified efforts to inspect the process, rationally adjusted the process, increased the frequency of monitoring, guaranteed the steady operation of equipment and facilities for sewage treatment and the discharge of qualified treated sewage, and enhanced measures for disinfecting sewage and sludge, so as to guard the last defense line of treating sewage in Jiaozuo and combating the NCP, guarantee the life safety of citizens and implement the mission and responsibility of the company. The specific work conducted by the company is as follows: 

      First, enhance the organizational leadership, and establish the mechanism for preventing and controlling the NCP. The company has instantly established a leading team for prevention and control of the NCP, with general manager Yuan Jianguang as the team leader, persons in charge of sewage treatment plants as deputy directors and persons in charge of departments as members. A general affairs office and three working groups respectively for publicity, implementation and supervision have been established under the leadership of the leading team, realizing the grid-based full coverage of work. Special online sessions have been held to comprehensively deploy and coordinate the overall work of preventing and controlling the NCP. The Work Plan for Prevention and Control of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia has been formulated and issued to improve working systems and processes of various kinds during the period of combating the NCP, and inform all sewage treatment plants of conducting prevention and control in advance. 

      Second, strengthen publicity and inspection of prevention and control of the NCP, and guarantee the supply of epidemic prevention items. The company has taken full use of WeChat groups, slogans, written proposals and other measures to introduce to employees the knowledge of epidemic prevention and the deployment of superior departments for epidemic prevention, guide employees to correctly understand the novel coronavirus, participate in scientific prevention and avoid believing in or spreading rumors, and create a strong atmosphere of preventing the NCP participated in by all employees. In addition, the company has conducted inch-by-inch and intensive investigation, traced close contact groups, checked personal epidemic prevention and actively coordinated the procurement of epidemic prevention items such as disposable masks, goggles, thermometers, medicinal alcohol and disinfectant, so as to ensure that the disinfection work is conducted in an orderly manner.
      Third, reinforce personnel management and improve the capability of emergency response. Considering that front-line operators may be infected with the novel coronavirus through aerosol, the company has enhanced the daily prevention for on-duty employees by taking measures such as disinfection twice a day, body temperature measurement and inspection of protectors. Meanwhile, screenings produced in pretreatment have been disinfected, daily wastes cleaned up immediately, abandoned masks and gloves collected and disinfected, unnecessary visits from outsiders forbidden, entrance of outside vehicles strictly controlled, drug transportation vehicles inspected and disinfected, and meals provided at different times in the dining hall for employees working by day or night, thus avoiding transmission of the novel coronavirus, creating a safe and efficient environment for production, operation and working, guaranteeing the life safety of front-line employees and the safe operation of sewage treatment plants.

      Fourth, strengthen adjustment of the process and increase the frequency of tail water disinfection and sewage discharge monitoring. Since residual disinfectant exists in sewage, it will inhibit the activated sludge. Therefore, the company has made an emergency response plan for production during the prevention and control of the NCP to guarantee the microbial activity by increasing carbon source and aeration rate, adjusting the sludge concentration and taking other measures in spite of considering costs, ensuring that the water quality of discharged sewage is qualified. The company has also supported the superior department of environmental protection to increase the frequency of monitoring sanitary index of discharged treated sewage according to the latest research results of the NCP released by the Chinese government. The frequency of detecting the number of fecal coliforms has been adjusted to once a day, disinfection of discharged treated sewage strictly implemented and the dose of disinfectant increased, achieving the number of fecal coliforms much lower than that specified in the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB 18918-2002). Since the outbreak of the NCP, all sewage treatment plants of the company have kept steady running to collect and treat sewage and realize standard discharge of qualified sewage, effectively guaranteeing the safety of discharging urban sewage. 

      Fifth, implement the epidemic situation daily reporting system and build a smooth communication channel. The company has implemented the epidemic situation daily reporting system to report the relevant work of preventing and controlling the NCP to superior departments and the district where it is located in, ensuring that the communication channel is smooth.

      "We regard epidemic situation as the order, prevention and control of the NCP as responsibility and posts as battle fields to undertake the mission". In the process of combating the novel coronavirus, all employees of Jiaozuo Branch Company of Kangda EP have made joint efforts to guard the last defense line of safe urban sewage discharge, and interpret their high professional ethics and value of life through practices.