China to bolster national surface water monitoring network

China intends to strengthen its national surface water monitoring network during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) by bringing over 200 tributaries and small water bodies under coverage, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The initiative aims to ensure that monitoring efforts better reflect the conditions of water environment near the public, said Jiang Huohua, head of the ministry's department of water ecology and environment at a news conference on Tuesday.

The move comes as the country has witnessed consistent improvement in the quality of surface water, but there remain many water pollution problems that affect people's life, according to the official.

Following improvement over 10 consecutive years, the proportion of surface water with quality at or above Grade III reached 90.4 percent in 2024, compared to 64.5 percent in 2015, he said, adding that further improvement is anticipated this year.

The country has a five-tier quality system for surface water, with Grade I being the best.

Jiang attributes the achievement to a series of measures that have been rolled out across the country.

As of June, environmental officials have surveyed 580,000 kilometers of shorelines across the country's seven major river basins, identifying 360,000 drainage outlets. Over 90 percent of the violations associated with these outlets have been rectified, Jiang disclosed.

The ministry has also intensified efforts to promote the construction of concentrated sewage treatment facilities in major industrial parks, particularly in the basins of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, he noted.

To date, 2,700 sewage treatment plants have been built and 3,500 problems concerning inadequate sewage pipe networks and malfunctions have been addressed.

Jiang stressed, however, that the overall improvement does not necessarily mean that all water pollution problems at people's doorstep have been effectively addressed.

He said he has recently observed online water pollution complaints from many areas, with some leading to the death of trees, fish and shrimps. Some of them have drawn widespread public attention.

"This reminds us that the protection of the aquatic ecological environment should not only focus on metrics and data, but also on the feelings and voices of the people," he said.