Lhasa, the capital city of southwestern China's Tibet autonomous region, plans to recruit 55 chiefs to protect its rivers, the city's water conservation bureau said.

The move was a response to local residents' long-standing support for river management and protection, the bureau said.

It will accept applications for the positions between Aug 21 and 31. Recruitment is expected to be completed by the end of October, and the river chiefs are expected to be on duty by the end of the year.

Migmar Samdrub, an official from the bureau's river and lake administration office, said the work would motivate people to get involved in river protection, and it would help to improve long-term ecological conservation.

The recruitment is open to the public, but preference will be given to government workers such as deputies to the people's congress, members of advisory bodies, law workers, journalists and educational workers.

"Recruitment is also open to elderly Party members, village leaders, ex-servicemen and retirees. After a first review and approval by the bureau's river chief office, those who are accepted will be accredited with recruitment certificates," Migmar Samdrub said.

The responsibilities of the river chiefs will include volunteering to participate in river protection, supervision, handling comments, publicizing river protection and various river patrol activities, the bureau said.

"The river chiefs have to conduct at least one activity related to river protection every month," Migmar Samdrub said. "They have to regularly monitor and patrol the river, and they have to report any findings every month."

According to the qualification requirements of the position, a river chief has to be someone who has a strong education background with a profound understanding of regulations and policies related to water law and a solid understanding of green development. A chief must also be someone who knows the river, locals and their culture.

The river chiefs will be working along the city's main rivers in the region's districts of Chengguan, Dagze and Doilungdechen, as well as Chushul county.

If the river chiefs see any actions that may compromise the protection of the rivers, they can report them by calling the government service hotline. They can also use platforms such as WeChat to raise awareness of the problems.

Dawa Tsering, a resident of Lhasa, said protecting the Lhasa River was the responsibility of everyone who lived there, and the work of the river chiefs was needed.

"We sometimes see people littering along the river," the 28-year-old said. "Deaths may even occur if people swim in the river without adequate safety awareness.

"I think it's very necessary to install a normalized legal practice to ensure the river is not polluted by people and that residents are not harmed by the river at the same time."