Recently, the Changde Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau organized a special inspection and investigation of the underground pipe network in the urban area, conducting on-site supervision and handling of hidden danger points such as damaged pipes and mixed rainwater-sewage flows in old residential communities, using project construction to resolve historical problems in urban infrastructure. This inspection, which went directly to the site and straight to the front line, is a daily microcosm of the city's continuous advancement of the urban lifeline safety project.

Underground pipe networks are like the "blood vessels" of a city, connecting urban safety operations on one end and the livelihoods of countless households on the other. Over the past five years, the Changde Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau has continuously advanced the urban lifeline safety project, accelerating the renewal and transformation of drainage, gas, and other underground pipe networks. It has cumulatively completed 32.3 kilometers of overall pipeline repair, 1,990 localized repairs, 880 inspection well repairs, and 3,219 meters of rainwater-sewage separation transformation, filling gaps in urban infrastructure, extending safety guarantees and livelihood care to the fine details of streets, alleys, and communities, and solidifying the foundation of urban operations for the construction of a modern new Changde.

The Jiangbei Urban Area Drainage Pipe Network Transformation (Phase I) is a key livelihood project for the entire city, specifically organized and implemented by the Municipal Government Investment Project Construction Affairs Center. The project has a total investment of 263 million yuan, covering multiple major and secondary roads such as Sanlü Road and Taohuayuan Road, and implements a series of projects including pipe network repair, rainwater-sewage mixed connection transformation, and new rainwater and sewage pipeline construction, directly addressing the painful problems strongly reflected by the public, such as mixed rainwater-sewage flows in old urban areas and waterlogging during flood seasons.

The underground pipelines in the old urban area are intricately intertwined, and the construction environment is complex. While racing against time to advance the project schedule, the construction team insisted on placing the feelings of the residents in an important position. In the Spring Festival of 2026, the Municipal Government Investment Project Construction Affairs Center, together with the local Xinping Community, carried out a Spring Festival condolence activity of enterprise-local co-construction, visiting 18 households of residents. Volunteers explained the progress of the pipe network transformation construction to residents on site and solemnly promised to optimize the construction organization to minimize the interference of construction operations on residents' daily lives.

Quality is the lifeline of livelihood projects. Advancing in parallel with the drainage pipe network upgrade is the urban gas safety and livelihood improvement project. To resolve indoor gas safety hazards from the source, the city launched the free installation of the urban indoor gas "five-piece set," promoting the installation of metal corrugated hoses, gas detection alarms, emergency shut-off valves, automatic shut-off valves, and insulating joints in 133 communities. Relying on equipment to achieve automatic gas source shut-off upon leakage, it builds a dual protection network of "human defense plus technical defense." The project insists on training first, conducting specialized technical training for frontline construction personnel, with practical teaching around installation specifications, quality standards, and typical hazard cases; it establishes a closed-loop management mechanism of "training—construction—supervision—improvement," strengthening on-site inspection and control of construction, forcing every procedure to be standardized and implemented, ensuring the quality of the livelihood improvement project is excellent, and safeguarding the gas safety of thousands of households.

From trench operations for underground pipe networks to pipeline renewal in residents' homes; from strictly controlling quality at construction sites to entering communities to listen to the voices of the people, frontline builders of the project overcome difficulties and resolve many historical problems such as aging pipe networks and facility defects in old urban areas. After the completion of the drainage pipe network transformation, the effectiveness of rainwater-sewage separation in the area has emerged, the risk of urban waterlogging has been effectively alleviated, and the quality of the water environment has continued to improve, laying a solid foundation for sponge city construction; the inclusive installation of gas safety facilities fills the gap in home safety in old residential communities, bringing safety protection into ordinary households. Many community residents truly feel the changes: less water accumulation on roads on rainy days, and greater safety guarantees for home life.

Urban construction must not only build the scenery above ground but also solidify the foundation below ground. Each practical pipe network transformation project is a vivid microcosm of Changde's adherence to the people-centered development philosophy. Standing at the new starting point of welcoming the Ninth Municipal Party Congress, the Changde Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau will continue to coordinate the advancement of the quality upgrade of urban underground infrastructure, continuously improve the drainage and flood prevention and gas safety systems, earnestly handle urban renewal livelihood projects with heart and emotion, continuously enhance urban resilience and livability, and make the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security more substantial.