CTG replants orchids in Peru

　　The Huallaga River flows at the eastern foothills of the lush Andes in Peru. There is a huge reservoir near the Chaglla District of Huanuco. The water there is channeled through an underground tunnel to Peru’s third largest hydropower station, Chaglla.

　　While delivering clean electricity to thousands of households in the country, the station, operated and managed by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), improves the quality of water sources in downstream cities and ensures the ecological balance of local flora and fauna.

　　In the reservoir area, there are many wild orchids. Due to its demanding habitat requirements and scattered distribution, the species of the wild orchids are declining. In order to protect the precious plant, project staff spend their spare time on taking the training courses on orchid cultivation organized by Chaglla hydropower station, and transplants bad-growing orchids they identify during inspection or on the way home to a nearby nursery where temperature and humidity can be adjusted manually. They document, study and protect them, and "release" them back into nature when they become mature. So far, Chaglla hydropower station has saved nearly 160 species of orchids totaling 9,000.

　　"This small nursery is built near our living quarters, and it is also the place where the first orchid bloomed. We have to save these plants, transplant them to a nursery and grow them large enough, and then put them back or replant them in other forests so that they can survive to this day," said the maintenance manager of Chaglla hydropower station.

　　The nursery center in the Chagllakura reservoir area

　　Wild orchids in the reservoir area of Chageya hydropower station

　　Chaglla hydropower station has also carried out clean-up work, salvaging plastics, tree branches, aquatic plants and other debris rushed by the river for sorting, recycling and disposal. "The clean-up work has led to the return of all kinds of fishes that have disappeared for years, and many birds also migrate through this area, " said team leader John Blass. "Now the reservoir has formed a new, vibrant ecosystem."

　　Since 2015, Chaglla hydropower station has cleaned up more than 14 tons of disposable plastics and 3 tons of other hazardous waste. This has not only removed the threats of these plastics and solid wastes to the safety of the station"s diversion culverts and turbines, but also turned the waste into fertilizers for plants in the nursery.