Changes in the epidemic and environment, Qirun and ecological environment

　　 01 The Pandemic and Environmental Changes

　　From the Siberian tiger that wandered into a village to the clouded leopard discovered in Hangzhou's Zhuantang area, the frequent appearances of large endangered wild animals indicate, to some extent, an improvement in the local ecological environment. Looking back at the pandemic lockdown period, the changes in both the pandemic and the environment may explain the reappearance of these endangered protected animals, rarely seen for so long.

　　On March 11 of the previous year, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Overnight, human life pressed the pause button. As we stopped, the ecological environment began to change miraculously. The air became fresher, the water cleaner, and the plants and animals in the natural ecosystem began to reproduce on a scale unseen for decades.

 

　　 Hours after Lockdown

　　Within just hours of lockdown, global traffic noise decreased by as much as 70%. (Source: BBC "THE YEAR EARTH CHANGED")

 

　　 Days after Lockdown

　　The reduction in global air pollution was equally astounding. Within days, Los Angeles experienced its best air quality in forty years.

 

　　India, often considered one of the most polluted countries in the world, witnessed a shocking scene in Jalandhar, a small city near the Himalayas, just 12 days after lockdown. For the first time, and for many, the first time in their lives, local residents saw clear skies and the highest mountain range on Earth, 200 kilometers away, which had been hidden behind smog for thirty years, suddenly appearing without warning.

 

　　 When humanity paused, the Earth was able to breathe again.

 

　　 Months after Lockdown

　　The dissolved oxygen content in India's Ganges River increased by 80%. Yes, that's the Ganges River, the one with the saying, "Drink this bowl of Ganges water, and you'll be reborn as an Indian."

 

　　 A corner of the Ganges River before.

　 　A corner of the Ganges River three months after the pandemic lockdown.

(Image from BBCStudios)

　　On the Atlantic coast of Morocco, Africa, which receives over 12 million tourists annually, the water cleanliness rating jumped from poor to excellent three months after the lockdown.

　 　Before:

　　 (Image from Alamy Stock Photo)

　　 Now:

　　 (Image from BBC Studios)

　　During the pandemic, environmental pollution in China also significantly decreased.

　　Based on data collected by NASA and ESA pollution detection satellites, nitrogen dioxide levels over China decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

　　How big was the change? Compare the images to see.

　　One image shows before the pandemic outbreak, while the other is during the lockdown.

　　Especially in Wuhan, according to NASA's data and photos, the comparison of Wuhan in the same period last year and after the pandemic outbreak shows a completely different level of nitrogen dioxide concentration in the air.

　　Even NASA researchers were surprised: "This is the first time I've seen such a dramatic decrease over such a wide area."

　　 (Wuhan during the pandemic lockdown)

　　China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the status of national surface water and air quality at the end of March 2020, two months after the nationwide lockdown. The data showed a decrease in pollutant emissions, and both surface water and atmospheric environmental quality showed an improvement year-on-year.

　　 A Year After Lockdown

　　A full year has passed since the lockdown began, and the world has undergone astonishing changes. Global annual carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by over 6%, the largest drop on record. Beneath the Earth's surface, there were also astonishing changes, with the vibrations caused by tourism and industry reduced by more than half; this was the quietest year ever recorded underground. (Source: BBC )

　　The rapid and diverse response of the natural ecosystem shows that even small changes in our lives can have a significant impact on the natural environment. Our lives and nature are deeply interconnected in unexpected ways.

　　Since the effects of pandemic lockdowns will not last forever, what lessons can we learn to find better ways to coexist with nature?

　　Looking back on the past year, a year that has been difficult for many of us, what lessons can we learn to secure the future of nature and our own? We must consider how to coexist with the natural ecological environment.

 

　 　02 Qirun Ecology and Ecological Environment

　　As a professional technology solution and operation and maintenance service integrator dedicated to the water environment field, Qirun Ecology has a clear understanding of its "ecological niche" in the water and environmental protection market.

　　What is an ecological niche?

　　Ecological niche is a biological concept, originally proposed by J. Grinnel, to study the competitive relationships between species. It has been gradually developed and improved, and has begun to extend to the business field. It means [in a biological community or ecosystem, each species has its own role and position, occupying a certain space and performing a certain function]. Ecological niche is an extremely important concept in biology, of great significance to enterprises and even individuals, and its importance is comparable to "entropy increase law."

　　What is Qirun Ecology's ecological niche in the water environment field?

　　02-1 "Environment + Ecology" means "Human Environment, No Human Ecology"

　　"Human Environment": A poor environment needs human intervention for improvement, such as the treatment of black and odorous water bodies and urban flood control. If we broadly understand pollution as "dirty things," the law of conservation of matter tells us that "dirty things" do not disappear without a trace; the efforts of environmental professionals to control pollution merely transfer it to areas beyond our sight.

　　Qirun Ecology's position in the "Human Environment" is that of a comprehensive service provider for comprehensive water environment management.

 

　　 Business Segment 1: Integration and Operation and Maintenance of Rain and Sewage Equipment

　 　(Photos of project site operation and maintenance installation)

　　As the name suggests, our company provides more than just large-scale rainwater flood control equipment for detention basins, interception, and drainage facilities; we focus more on integrated services and maintenance. Even if there are many problems encountered in the integration and maintenance process, and there is not much economic benefit in itself. Some people might think that the maintenance cost is so high, why not just sell equipment? Or, as long as we don't make big mistakes during integration and maintenance, everything will be fine, right?

　　Water environment governance projects and ecological environment are not completely equivalent. The ecological environment is something we can never give up, while projects themselves have a life cycle. It is precisely because of perfunctory work and the idea that "no mistakes mean success" that the relationship between economic development and ecological environment protection has not been properly handled in some places and some fields during China's rapid economic development. A company or even a country does not have only one project underway. If every local area believes that it is dispensable, then what will we have left?

 

　　 Business Segment Two: Drainage System Monitoring and Data Services

　　There is a vast amount of data in the drainage system. The monitoring of water volume and quality is like a "lighthouse" in a maze of pipelines, guiding our planning, design, construction, operation, and diagnostic evaluation. If we compare the baseline survey of the drainage system to a physical examination, CCTV and QV can be regarded as gastroscopy and colonoscopy, which can directly see the problem, but it is costly and painful. Online water quality and quantity monitoring is like a blood test; whether healthy or sick, it is an indispensable link. Only by knowing whether the "blood sugar" and "blood pressure" in the pipeline are high or not, can we know the real problem of the pipeline.

　　 Lu'an City Drainage Pipe Network Water Quality and Quantity Monitoring and Pre-diagnosis Case

　　"No human ecology": Ecology is a state of natural existence. As long as there is no human interference, it is called ecology. Ecology is not just about lush forests or trees, but also rivers and lakes, which are also ecosystems. No human interference equals ecology.

 

　　 Business Segment Three: Water Ecological Restoration and Maintenance Service Provider

　　Qirun Ecological's position in "no human ecology" is as a water ecological restoration and maintenance service provider. Through technologies such as "ecological dredging, bottom improvement, artificial wetlands, in-situ water purification technology, and the construction of aquatic plants and animals and microorganisms," the goal is to return the water ecosystem to a final state with no human interference. Non-interference is the ultimate kindness.

　　02-2 Hardware and Software Integration, Data-Driven Decision-Making

　　It seems that now any water-related software can be called intelligent water management, but how many have truly achieved intelligence? We haven't even figured out the hidden value and data logic behind the massive data, and informatization hasn't been fully realized yet, so how can we talk about intelligence?

 

　　 Business Segment Four: Customized Development of Water Affairs Digital Information Software

　　Qirun Ecological has a professional software development team and a water affairs professional consulting and technical team. Combining the two major business segments of "rain and sewage equipment integration and maintenance" and "drainage pipe network monitoring data services" in numerous projects implemented across the country, we deeply mine the value of data, achieving decentralized, efficient, stable, and unattended operation of rainwater flood control equipment, and automatic analysis and early warning of drainage pipe network conditions.

　　 (Detention Basin 1:1 Simulation 3D Dynamic Model, which can be combined with VR technology and data from various sensors in the detention basin to achieve virtual visualization of operating conditions)

　　 (Intelligent Intercepting Well)

　　 (Detention Basin Group Operation and Control Platform, mainly unattended automatic operation; in emergencies, it can switch to manual remote control mode, remotely controlling the start and stop of all equipment in the detention basin group from the central machine room)