In Nanping, Zhuhai, the Zhuxiandong Reservoir is surrounded by rippling waves and lush trees, like a fairyland on earth. 《 The Xiangshan County Annals record: "Zhuxian Cave is located four miles southeast of Beishan Township. The mountains are sandwiched between arches, separated by streams, and the stone bridge spans like a rainbow. The rocks are smooth and clear, and the taste is particularly refreshing." The refreshing freshwater flows from here to Macau, nourishing the people of Haojiang and telling the story of the friendship that has lasted for more than 60 years. By 2023, Zhuhai's annual raw water supply to Macau has reached approximately 100 million cubic meters. Macau, surrounded by the sea on three sides, has poor conditions for storing surface water and a severe shortage of freshwater resources. For a long time, Macau residents relied mainly on dozens of water boats taking turns every day to transport water from Wan Chai and Yinkeng in Zhuhai back to Macau, and then "water delivery girls" went door-to-door to deliver water. “ My grandma delivers water, my mom delivers water, I deliver water, and even my children deliver water. We have been delivering fresh water for four generations The former 'water carrying girl' Grandma Liang said. 20 Since the 1950s, with the development of Macau's economy and population growth, water consumption has been increasing, and Macau's self-sufficiency in water supply has gradually become unsustainable. A knowledgeable person has issued a request to the Guangdong Provincial Government, hoping to solve the water supply problem in Macau. In 1959, the Guangdong Provincial Government decided to build the Zhuxiandong Reservoir and Yinkeng Reservoir, with funding from Macau and output from Zhuhai. 1960 On March 8th, less than a year later, the Zhuxiandong Reservoir with a total storage capacity of 2.4 million cubic meters was completed and put into use. In September of the same year, Yinkeng Reservoir also followed suit and was successfully put into operation. As the gate opens, fresh water flows into Macau through pipes and open channels. Among the 22 water supply reservoirs in Zhuhai, Zhuxiandong Reservoir is the closest to Macau and can provide water to Macau by utilizing natural differences. For 65 years, it has played an important role as a "bridgehead" for Macau's water supply. However, relying solely on the Zhuxian Cave reservoir is insufficient to support water supply in Macau. Since then, Zhuhai has successively built multiple pumping stations and reservoirs, and connected them through pipelines, tunnels, and open channels to enhance its ability to ensure water supply to Australia. The relevant person in charge of Zhuhai Water Control Group introduced that after years of construction, the water supply project from Zhuhai to Macau has formed four water supply pipelines. From 1986 to 2023, Zhuhai's annual raw water supply to Macau has increased from 20 million cubic meters to approximately 100 million cubic meters. Increasing the water supply by four times is not an easy task. The salty tide is like a 'roadblock'. When it comes to it, experienced water conservancy professionals often furrow their brows. River mouths and delta channels are the intersection areas of freshwater runoff from upstream rivers and high salinity water from the open sea. During the dry season, the runoff decreases, and the high salinity water in the open sea gradually spreads upstream of the river due to tidal forces, causing the water in the river to become salty and triggering a salt tide, resulting in the inability of the water intake to extract fresh water normally. Wu Xiaolong, director of the the Pearl River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources, introduced that the river network in the the Pearl River Delta region is crisscrossed, the tide fluctuates repeatedly, and the upstream of the salt tide is complex and changeable. From October to March of the following year, the runoff in the upstream river channel is small, and the tidal power becomes relatively strong. The upstream of the estuary salty tide will show an active period. It is reported that the water sources for the urban agglomeration in the Greater Bay Area are mainly taken from rivers. During the impact of saltwater tides at the river mouth, the chlorine content near the water intake severely exceeds the standard, and even if fresh water cannot be obtained for several consecutive days, the safety of urban water supply will be seriously threatened. 2004 In 1951, South China experienced a severe drought that had not been seen in 50 years. The seawater flowed upstream along the Modaomen waterway of the Xijiang River, approaching Guangzhou, forming the most severe salt tide in the Zhuhai Macao region since 1951. The water supply for Macao and Zhuhai was in urgent need. The Ministry of Water Resources organized the the Pearl River Water Resources Commission to comprehensively launch the emergency water supply guarantee work. After careful planning, on the eve of the Spring Festival in 2005, emergency water was transferred from the upstream reservoir thousands of miles away to Macao, Zhuhai and other places at the mouth of the the Pearl River to suppress salt tide and ensure water supply. The distance of water transfer was more than 1000 kilometers. It has been 20 years since the heroic feat of "thousand mile water pressure adjustment and salt tide" that spanned Guizhou, Guangxi, and Guangdong for 10 days. In the past 20 years, the mainland has established three lines of defense for local, near ground, and far ground water supply guarantee in river basins, implemented four measures of forecasting, early warning, rehearsal, and contingency planning, and ensured water safety. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Macau's return to the motherland. For over 20 years, under the framework of "One Country, Two Systems", the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Macao SAR Government have established the Guangdong Macao Water Supply Cooperation Task Force and Technical Group under the Guangdong Macao Cooperation Joint Conference mechanism. Wang Lixin, Director of the Water Resources Department of Guangdong Province, introduced that in 2009, the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Macao SAR Government signed the "Guangdong Macao Water Supply Agreement", establishing a more stable water supply cooperation mechanism at the government level. In recent years, both Zhuhai and Macau have held regular "Four Party Meetings" with the participation of the Macau Maritime and Water Affairs Bureau, Zhuhai Water Affairs Bureau, Macau Water Supply Corporation, and Zhuhai Water Control Group, establishing a normalized water supply cooperation mechanism. Nowadays, the 'water carrying girls' have long exited the historical stage, and Macau's economic and social development, no longer bound by freshwater, has made tremendous progress, becoming one of the cities with the highest population density in the world and ranking among the top in per capita income. Climbing up to the top of Jiangjun Mountain next to Zhuxiandong Reservoir, the bustling skyline of Zhuhai Center, Hengqin International Financial Center, Macao Tourism Tower and other landmark buildings in Zhuhai and Macao is magnificent, becoming the magnificent cover of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. In the invisible water supply pipeline, there is a gurgling clear flow that moistens both places. (New Society)