How the River Chief System Achieved River Pollution Control: Analysis Based on AGIL Paradigm
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe article analyses the water quality in the lower Yangtze River Basin between 2016 and 2020. By using the AGIL paradigm, the paper studies the River Chief System (RCS), an environmental protection policy independently created and implemented by local governments in China to promote water pollution control. The study clearly documents the evidence; furthermore, it explicitly outlines the data, method, and research approach. What appears to be weaker and deserving of further exploration is the analysis of the policy, which runs the risk of being too general and insufficiently contextualized. Indeed, since the study focuses on the case of the lower Yangtze River Basin, the analysis should concentrate on how the River Chief System operated in this specific context, with some insights into the specific implementation details of that policy scheme in the local system. Otherwise, the article risks being unbalanced: on one hand, an analysis of data regarding water quality outcomes focused on the local case, on the other hand, an analysis of the policy at a broader and more general level.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
I have responded to your comments one by one. Please see the attachment.
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Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors1 The basin generally refers to the closed hydrological unit divided according to the natural geographical watershed, and Figure 1 uses the five provinces along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to refer to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the statement is not rigorous, it is recommended to modify the title or delete Figure 1.
2. Supplementary explanation of the advantages of using the AGIL paradigm. It is suggested that the theoretical introduction of the AGIL paradigm should be adjusted from discussion to the research method in section 2.3, and the specific application logic in the river chief system can also be added to section 2.3.
3 The specific scope of evaluation criteria for indicators such as PH involved in the study can be further explained in the form of a table according to the Label of Surface Water Environmental Quality of the People's Republic of China(GB3838-2002).
4 Line 271, Please recheck whether the expression is correct and should be corrected as: “and the lower quartile value Mn in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces also decrease year by year.”
Comments on the Quality of English Language
The overall language expression of the article is a bit simple, please consider readjusting the language expression paradigm and polishing the article.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
I have responded to your comments one by one. Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsPaper describes how River Chief System achived watershed pollution control based on analysis using AGIL paradigm.
Paper is very extensive, well described and conceived. There are no mayor remarks on paper.
Some minor remarks:
Row 13 and and elsewhere in the work: Please dont use word "we" in paper. Write: "Secondly, AGIL paradigm... was used".
Row 41: Start sentece with capital "N".
Row 139: Dont use "paper", use "research"
Figure 1 and 2 need better resolution. Put figures 1 and 2 one to the other, not bellow.
Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 need better resolution because values on figures cannot be read.
Row 289: Define how you have calculated water quality ratio and show scale for water quality ratio. Please put this in Section 2.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageEnglish in some parts of the manuscript is very difficult to read.
Author Response
Dear reviewer,
I have responded to your comments one by one. Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
