China announces substantial advancements in water ecology conservation
According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Friday, China has achieved significant progress in safeguarding the water ecology of important river basins, with national water quality continuing to see improvements in the first half of this year.
TroibNews 
China has achieved notable progress in the conservation of the water ecology within its major river basins, with significant improvements in national water quality observed in the first half of this year, as reported by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Friday.
The proportion of surface water bodies across the country categorized as having excellent water quality reached 89.4 percent in 2023, marking an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the previous year, according to MEE official Huang Xiaozeng during a press conference.
Huang highlighted that this figure exceeds the target established in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) by 4.4 percentage points.
Using the Yangtze River as an example, Huang revealed that 98.5 percent of monitoring sites in the basin reported excellent water quality in 2023, which is an improvement of 0.4 percentage points 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 since 2022. The count of nationally protected aquatic wildlife species has also climbed to 14 in 2023, up by three from the prior year.
Huang mentioned that in June of last year, the MEE collaborated with relevant departments to develop detailed assessment criteria for water ecology in the Yangtze River Basin, with the first evaluation under these criteria slated for 2025.
Drawing from the pilot initiatives in the Yangtze, China aims to enhance its water ecology monitoring and evaluation methods across the nation, establish and refine water ecology standards, and support the evaluation framework necessary for building a beautiful China, Huang stated.
(Cover image via CFP)
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
The proportion of surface water bodies across the country categorized as having excellent water quality reached 89.4 percent in 2023, marking an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the previous year, according to MEE official Huang Xiaozeng during a press conference.
Huang highlighted that this figure exceeds the target established in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) by 4.4 percentage points.
Using the Yangtze River as an example, Huang revealed that 98.5 percent of monitoring sites in the basin reported excellent water quality in 2023, which is an improvement of 0.4 percentage points 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 since 2022. The count of nationally protected aquatic wildlife species has also climbed to 14 in 2023, up by three from the prior year.
Huang mentioned that in June of last year, the MEE collaborated with relevant departments to develop detailed assessment criteria for water ecology in the Yangtze River Basin, with the first evaluation under these criteria slated for 2025.
Drawing from the pilot initiatives in the Yangtze, China aims to enhance its water ecology monitoring and evaluation methods across the nation, establish and refine water ecology standards, and support the evaluation framework necessary for building a beautiful China, Huang stated.
(Cover image via CFP)
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
