a new hope:
On May 12, 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale ripped through Sichuan province in China, leaving little in its wake save for death and devastation.
Unfortunately for the villagers in Yuanshan village, the Minjiang river from which most of them depended on for water, had been polluted by the earthquake.
Sun Bo, a Chinese national in his fourties, was studying his Masters in Public Admini. at NTU in Singapore, 3.000km away from home. He was working on a proposal for the 1st Lien Challenge in Singapore.
Being the department head of the management Committee of National Poverty in China, when he heard the shocking news of the Sichuan earthquake, Sun Bo decided to focus his proposal on the Minjiang River in West Sichuan.
A waste water treatment system would be built to eliminate the harmful waste components from the waste and prevent further pollution of the river. The system was designed to be sustainable, with low operation costs and easy maintenance.
Sun Bo and his team proceeded with the implementation of their project. Since their graduation in 2009, the team has been collaborating with Lien Aid, working to bring together in one town - under the China New Country Policy - 176 previously scattered Yuanshan households.
Sun Bo explains: “This is a very realistic project. We are not stopping at just building houses.
We are equipping the houses with piping and water facilities because we want to prevent diseases and improve the level of hygiene in the village.”
In addition, the land evacuated by the families can now be used to plant more crops.
Yuanshan village has been deemed a booming success, even going on to be used as a model village under the China New Country Policy.
This is only the beginning for Sun Bo and his team, as they cherish high hopes that officials in neighbouring villages will also follow in Yuanshan’s footsteps.
The Lien Challenge:
Co-organised by the Lien Foundation and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the Lien Challenge is open to students taking the Master of Science in Managerial Economics and Master of Public Administration at NTU. Students are required to submit a proposal that will address the various water and sanitation issues in China. This project can create a major impact in China at policy level by catering to senior governmental officials.
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