CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- With the arrival of the rainy season, the 'physicians' of our city, the dredging workers, have started their most stressful time of the year. They are busy inspecting and clearing the drainage system to ensure the smooth operation of the city. Now, let's follow them to experience their daily work.

It's raining again in Chongqing at 8 o'clock. To ensure the smooth operation of the urban drainage system, Zhuo Changxue and his colleagues inspected the underground pipeline network and the drainage outlets along rivers.

For those responsible for public drainage, thunder serves as the bugle, and rain acts as the order, said Zhuo. Every heavy rainfall poses a severe test to our work, and we must ensure that drainage channels are cleared before the rainy season and be on high alert early in the rainy season to guarantee the proper functioning of public drainage pipes.

Zhuo Changxue, 59 years old, is the eldest member of the Yuzhong Drainage Maintenance Team. He has worked in the urban drainage maintenance industry for nearly 30 years. Before entering the pipe, he used a gas detector to check for the existence and density of different gases inside.

Underground pipe systems are considered confined spaces where the temperature rise in summer accelerates the volatilization and diffusion of toxic and harmful gases. Therefore, a gas detector is an indispensable safety device for underground operations. It can detect the concentration of various hazardous gases underground and ensure the safety of underground workers.

After confirming the gas detection results were within the acceptable range, Zhuo Changxue donned the airtight waterproof gear and a safety helmet and secured a safety rope and belt around his waist. With the assistance of several colleagues, Zhuo was gradually lowered into the inspection well. Most public wellheads are 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter, barely sufficient to accommodate a single person.

Since the underground drainage pipes in Yuzhong District were built a long time ago, the network is complex and intertwined, and most of the dredging work for the network has to be done manually. In addition to dealing with sewage, fecal water, silt, and oil in the pipe network, the dredgers had to contend with rats, mosquitoes, and flies.

When cleaning the sewers, Zhuo Changxue put the garbage struck inside the pipe network into a small bucket and then slowly pulled it up from the well to the ground. He repeated this process until all the garbage was removed, indicating the completion of his task.

The temperature within the sewer well was over 10 degrees Celsius higher than that outside. When the reporter and Zhuo Changxue emerged from the well, their backs were dripping with sweat.

The streets were alive with the hustle and bustle of traffic and pedestrians. Amid the unpredictable rainfall, Zhuo Changxue and his colleagues hastened to the next checkpoint to scrutinize every inch of the underground pipe network.

In the age of smart technology, more sophisticated technologies have found their application in pipe maintenance. Periscopes, for example, enable workers to observe the interior of the pipe in real time and conduct a 'precise physical examination' of the underground pipe network, thereby boosting the efficiency of inspections and the safety of operations.

When the morning's work was over at 2：00 p.m, the team finally had a chance to take a break and have lunch at the management office. "Despite the busyness and fatigue during work, we experienced a profound sense of achievement when we saw the sewers being cleared," Zhuo Changxue said with a grin. This feeling of fulfillment is a potent driving force that propels them forward. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)