200
9 Water Quality Management
Table 9.1. Water quality in China in 2017
River basin Monitoring
stations
Percentage of monitoring stations
Class I
Class II Class III Class IV Class V Over Class
V
Country
1940
67.9
23.8
8.3
Songhua
River
108
0
14.8
53.7
25.0
0.9
5.6
Liao River
106
2.8
23.6
22.6
24.5
7.5
18.9
Hai River
161
1.9
20.5
19.3
13.0
12.4
32.9
Yellow
River
137
1.5
29.2
27.0
16.1
10.2
16.1
Huai River 180
0
6.7
39.4
36.7
8.9
8.3
Yangtze
River
510
2.2
44.3
38.0
10.2
3.1
2.2
Rivers in
Zhejiang
and Fujian
Provinces
(Southeast
Rivers)
125
2.4
40.8
45.6
7.2
3.2
0.8
Pearl River 165
3.0
56.4
27.9
6.1
2.4
4.2
Southwest
Rivers
62
0
79.4
15.9
3.2
1.6
0
Northwest
Rivers
63
12.9
77.4
6.4
1.6
1.6
0
Source MEE (2018) 2017 Ecological and environmental bulletin of China
Permission granted by MEE on its website subject to proper citation
Water (GB3838) under Section ‘Standard’.” In 112 key lakes (reservoirs) in the same
year, water quality ranked as Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV, Class V, and over
Class V accounted for 5.4%, 24.1%, 33.0%, 19.6%, 7.1%, and 10.7%, respectively.
Inter-provincial waters with water quality classified as better than Class III and over
Class V represented 67.0% and 12.9%, respectively, based on the 544 inter-provincial
sectors evaluated. The main factors exceeding the standards were COD, ammonia
nitrogen, and total phosphorus (MEE 2018).
The percentage of water bodies that achieved the water quality objectives was
only 62.5% among 6,454 water function zones monitored, of which 66.6% of the
preliminary zone (excluding the development zone) met the water quality objective
and the secondary zone was 66.7% (MWR 2018).
Given the degrading water quality, guaranteeing water supply—particularly for
drinking—has become a very complex task. The “Standards for Drinking Water Quality” (GB5749) measure has been fully implemented since July 1, 2012. However, late
planning, lack of capital, and the fact that most water treatment plants use traditional
treatment processes mean that most of the urban water supplies will not reach the
9 Water Quality Management
Table 9.1. Water quality in China in 2017
River basin Monitoring
stations
Percentage of monitoring stations
Class I
Class II Class III Class IV Class V Over Class
V
Country
1940
67.9
23.8
8.3
Songhua
River
108
0
14.8
53.7
25.0
0.9
5.6
Liao River
106
2.8
23.6
22.6
24.5
7.5
18.9
Hai River
161
1.9
20.5
19.3
13.0
12.4
32.9
Yellow
River
137
1.5
29.2
27.0
16.1
10.2
16.1
Huai River 180
0
6.7
39.4
36.7
8.9
8.3
Yangtze
River
510
2.2
44.3
38.0
10.2
3.1
2.2
Rivers in
Zhejiang
and Fujian
Provinces
(Southeast
Rivers)
125
2.4
40.8
45.6
7.2
3.2
0.8
Pearl River 165
3.0
56.4
27.9
6.1
2.4
4.2
Southwest
Rivers
62
0
79.4
15.9
3.2
1.6
0
Northwest
Rivers
63
12.9
77.4
6.4
1.6
1.6
0
Source MEE (2018) 2017 Ecological and environmental bulletin of China
Permission granted by MEE on its website subject to proper citation
Water (GB3838) under Section ‘Standard’.” In 112 key lakes (reservoirs) in the same
year, water quality ranked as Class I, Class II, Class III, Class IV, Class V, and over
Class V accounted for 5.4%, 24.1%, 33.0%, 19.6%, 7.1%, and 10.7%, respectively.
Inter-provincial waters with water quality classified as better than Class III and over
Class V represented 67.0% and 12.9%, respectively, based on the 544 inter-provincial
sectors evaluated. The main factors exceeding the standards were COD, ammonia
nitrogen, and total phosphorus (MEE 2018).
The percentage of water bodies that achieved the water quality objectives was
only 62.5% among 6,454 water function zones monitored, of which 66.6% of the
preliminary zone (excluding the development zone) met the water quality objective
and the secondary zone was 66.7% (MWR 2018).
Given the degrading water quality, guaranteeing water supply—particularly for
drinking—has become a very complex task. The “Standards for Drinking Water Quality” (GB5749) measure has been fully implemented since July 1, 2012. However, late
planning, lack of capital, and the fact that most water treatment plants use traditional
treatment processes mean that most of the urban water supplies will not reach the