The outbreak of COVID-19 hit the whole world hard at the beginning of 2020. While people’s lives and health are prioritized, the social production also need to continue to maintain people’s livelihood. Faced with such unprecedented challenges, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) has adopted a series of measures to minimize the impact of the pandemic while sparing no effort to protect the wellbeing of its staff.

Working safe with enhanced technical support

The outbreak happened during the holiday of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which most Chinese people spend together with their families in their hometowns across the country. After the holiday, following the government instruction of practicing social distancing, most of the IWHR staff began to work from home.

To support this new style of working, the Information Center, the IT department of IWHR developed the Remote Working System in no time, which allows all staff to work efficiently from home while staying safe.

Screenshot of the Remote Working System

Collaborating with China’s Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), IWHR also developed the Water Conservancy Professional Knowledge System, which allows not only IWHR staff, but fellows across the country in the relevant departments and agencies of the water sector to remotely download statistics, case studies, research papers, etc. essential for work.

The Water Conservancy Professional Knowledge System

Working remotely, IWHR scientists maintain communication through all kinds of modern approaches, including emails, phone calls and video conferences.

IWHR experts having video conference to share latest progress of their research

IWHR experts working at home to maintain the normal progress of their duties

The graduate school of IWHR is under temporary shutdown as all the other schools and universities across the country, but research and studies never stop for IWHR students with solid technical support.

IWHR graduate students attended the conference for the spring semester online

Working in shifts to cut the spread

For those positions necessary for IWHR’s daily functioning, we introduce a shift system to minimize the number of people working in the same space.

Staff of the Information Center work in shifts, ensuring both personal safety and the smooth operation of the Remote Working System

For researchers, outdoor activities such as field observation has to be suspended under the national lockdown, but indoor experiments and data analysis has been carried out as planned.

Testing the ultimate tensile strength of concrete in the lab

Testing the drying shrinkage ability of concrete in the lab

Protecting everyone’s safety and health

Since the outbreak, IWHR has always put safety and health of staff members as the first priority. Face masks, hand sanitizer and other necessary personal protective equipment have been provided to every staff member to protect everyone from the virus.

Staff members wearing face mask while on duty

The logistics, security and medical team of IWHR has been offering solid support to combating the outbreak.

The logistics team disinfect public spaces in office buildings, laboratories and staff dormitories every day

Contactless temperature check at the entrance of office buildings

Sending medical supplies to overseas friends

Faced with the pandemic, all mankind is a community of shared future, and only by helping each together can all of us tide over this difficulty. It is in this spirit that IWHR has sent face masks to many of our overseas partners and friends, including research institutes, international organizations, business corporations, etc. to support them in reining in the outbreak. Such kind gesture received warm replies as the Chinese saying goes Adversity reveals true friendship.

Packages of face masks received by our overseas friends

Thanks to all these efforts, most of IWHR’s work has been proceeding as usual while its staff all remain safe and healthy. With China lifting stay-home order and reopening its economy step by step, work and life are gradually turning back normal. Stay safe, work safe – and we believe the victory is not far away.