A spectacular aerial view of the Yangtze River at Changjiang town [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Changjiang town in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province is quite literally minding its own back yard, which is a pretty important job, according to officials.

That's because the town is located on the northern banks of the Yangtze River and it shares the same Chinese name with the country's longest waterway. 

Local officials say the town has made continuous efforts to protect the ecological system of its section of the river by taking a series of measures.

A work team headed by the town's Party secretary and comprising representatives from each government department has been set up to carry out long-term management, upgrade environmental and economic policies and ensure strict implementation of the protection measures.

The local government has appointed river chiefs for all streams under the town's jurisdiction. They are responsible for carrying out comprehensive measures, including the control and cleaning of pollutants and ecological restoration.

So far, the town has built two sewage treatment plants, costing 360 million yuan ($50.6 million). All industrial sewage and 84 percent of the domestic sewage has been thoroughly disposed, ensuring that water quality in major branches of the Yangtze River meet the Grade II national standard.

The town has also improved the landscaping along the river by planting 130,000 square meters of lawns and trees, increasing the forest coverage rate to 32.2 percent.