Beijing, August 31, 2024, The Europe Today: China has made notable advancements in safeguarding the water ecology of its major river basins, with national water quality showing continued improvement in the first half of this year. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) announced these developments on Friday.
Improvements in Water Quality
According to Huang Xiaozeng, an official with the MEE, the proportion of surface-water bodies nationwide classified as having excellent water quality reached 89.4 percent in 2023. This marks a 1.5 percentage point increase from the previous year and exceeds the target set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) by 4.4 percentage points.
Yangtze River Basin Achievements
Highlighting the progress in key river basins, Huang cited the Yangtze River as a prime example. In 2023, 98.5 percent of monitoring sites in the Yangtze River Basin achieved excellent water quality, a 0.4 percentage point improvement from the previous year. Furthermore, the number of indigenous fish species in the Yangtze River Basin has risen to 227, an increase of 34 species from 2022. The number of nationally protected aquatic wildlife species in the basin has also grown to 14, up by three from the previous year.
New Assessment Criteria
In June of the previous year, the MEE, in collaboration with relevant departments, introduced detailed assessment criteria for water ecology in the Yangtze River Basin. The first assessment under these new criteria is scheduled for 2025. This initiative is part of a broader effort to refine water-ecology monitoring and evaluation methods nationwide, establish and enhance water-ecology standards, and support the evaluation system aimed at building a “beautiful China,” Huang stated.
Future Goals
Building on the successes observed in the Yangtze River, China plans to apply these refined monitoring and evaluation techniques across the country. The ongoing efforts aim to strengthen the nation’s water-ecology standards and support the broader environmental goals outlined in national policies.
The progress reported underscores China’s commitment to environmental protection and the ongoing improvements in its water quality management practices.
