The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) held a regular press conference on June 25, where Jiang Huohua, Director of the Department of Water Ecology and Environment, introduced the work on promoting river and lake protection and governance across all regions and answered reporters' questions. Spokesperson Pei Xiaofei presided over the conference and reported recent key progress in ecological and environmental protection.
Jiang noted that although the proportion of national surface water rated Grade III or above has exceeded 90% for two consecutive years during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and the main streams of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers have maintained Grade II water quality for many years, the water quality of small tributaries, ponds, ditches and other micro water bodies near communities remains unsatisfactory. Therefore, MEE will focus on protecting and treating water bodies around the public, and has issued a special action plan with three priorities. First, addressing people's immediate concerns through special campaigns: together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, five major actions have been deployed—industrial park water pollution control, county and township black-odorous water body treatment, comprehensive livestock and poultry manure management, rural river, lake and reservoir maintenance, and micro water body inspection and remediation—to achieve three basic goals: no abnormal color, no odor, and no foreign matter. Second, strengthening source control to promote green transformation: targeting industrial, urban domestic, and agricultural non-point pollution sources, efforts will be made to enhance pollution prevention and cleaner production. Third, reinforcing monitoring and law enforcement: the water quality monitoring network will be extended to micro water bodies and counties, and recurring or unresolved water pollution problems will be incorporated into ecological and environmental protection inspections to ensure accountability.
Regarding the 'excellent water body ratio' set as a binding indicator in the 15th Five-Year Plan, Jiang explained that this comprehensive indicator adds aquatic ecological parameters to water quality, determining the proportion of water bodies rated 'excellent' or 'good' in terms of water ecological environment. It aims to consolidate water environment governance achievements, accelerate improvements in aquatic ecological protection, and draw on international experience. The indicator will be broken down to each province, and MEE is studying technical guidelines for water ecological protection and restoration supervision.
On flood season water quality control, Jiang said that during June to September each year, the national proportion of Grade III or above water quality drops by about 10 percentage points on average. MEE has made deployments in three areas: early identification and rectification of risks and hidden dangers, precise control of key water bodies and activation of emergency response plans for algal blooms, and tightening accountability to ensure problem rectification.
On Yangtze River ecological protection, Jiang stated that over the past decade, through pollution control, protection and restoration, green development, and coordinated governance, historic changes have occurred. Next steps include implementing continuous water quality improvement actions for the main stream and eight major tributaries, and accelerating the establishment of an integrated ecological and environmental governance system across the upper, middle, and lower reaches.
In building beautiful rivers and lakes, by the end of 2025, a total of 523 beautiful rivers and lakes had been established nationwide, achieving a completion rate of 20%. MEE has revised the list, adding more than 200 micro water bodies such as second-level and below tributaries, bringing the total to 2,608. It continues to collect outstanding cases and encourage grassroots innovation.
For drinking water source protection, Jiang reported that by the end of 2025, the compliance rate of 1,310 centralized drinking water sources at or above the county level reached 96.7%, and the standardization construction completion rate of such sources in the Yangtze River Economic Belt reached 100%. MEE is promoting the formulation and revision of standards such as 'Water Environmental Quality Standard for Drinking Water Sources', and expanding standardization construction from cities to county seats.
Regarding county-level black-odorous water bodies, black-odorous water bodies in cities at or above the prefectural level have been basically eliminated, and the elimination rate in 397 county-level cities exceeded 90%. MEE is working with relevant departments to formulate policy documents and guide localities to carry out investigation, treatment, and management, with a county black-odorous water body list to be established by the end of this year.
On outfall regulation, Jiang pointed out that 491,000 outfalls have been identified and recorded in the national supervision platform, with a remediation completion rate of 95% for main streams and important tributaries in seven major river basins and key lakes. Future steps include managing the existing outfalls, controlling new ones, and addressing variables, while using AI for intelligent verification, early warning, and coordination.
In addition, Pei Xiaofei answered questions on the 'Technical Guide for Constructed Wetlands for Rural Domestic Sewage Resource Utilization', stating that it addresses the challenges of rural sewage treatment—difficulties in governance, high investment, and poor operation. It emphasizes pre-survey, site selection, process design, and operation and maintenance, requiring adaptation to local conditions to avoid impractical construction. The national rural domestic sewage treatment rate has reached 55%, doubling from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.