The General Office of the State Council has recently forwarded the 'Action Plan on Community Water Body Protection and Treatment' drafted by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other departments. The plan sets a target that by 2030, water pollution investigation and remediation tasks in provincial-level and above industrial parks will be basically completed, black and odorous water bodies in counties and rural areas will be basically eliminated, direct impacts of livestock and poultry pollution on water bodies in key areas will be basically controlled, and community water bodies will be basically free of abnormal color, odor, and foreign objects.
Community water bodies, as defined in the plan, mainly include secondary and lower-level tributaries of rivers, as well as ponds, ditches, and other small water bodies. Examples are river tributaries, landscape lakes (ponds), retention ponds, and stormwater storage ponds within cities, and drainage ditches, streams, irrigation canals, reservoirs, pits, and weirs in and around villages. These water bodies are closely adjacent to residential areas and related to daily life and production.
An official from the Department of Water Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment noted that while water quality in major rivers has been continuously improving—with 91.4% of national surface water sections reaching Grade I-III quality in 2025, up 8 percentage points from the early 14th Five-Year Plan period, and the main streams of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers maintaining Grade II quality for six and four consecutive years respectively—pollution in small water bodies near communities has become increasingly prominent.
The plan's formulation follows four principles: putting people first by targeting 'no abnormal color, no abnormal odor, no foreign objects'; being problem-oriented by focusing on outstanding water environmental issues; prioritizing key areas by expanding coverage from large rivers to small tributaries and ponds; and addressing both symptoms and root causes through both remediation campaigns and source control.
The plan details three key tasks. First, launching campaigns to tackle prominent water pollution issues, including industrial park pollution remediation, county and rural black and odorous water treatment, integrated livestock waste management, rural river and lake conservation, and small water body inspection and treatment. Second, strengthening source control of water pollution, involving industrial pollution prevention, urban sewage collection and treatment, promotion of cleaner production in farming, and control of pollutants entering rivers. Third, improving water pollution supervision and management, including expanding monitoring networks, enhancing inspection and law enforcement, and prioritizing unresolved community water pollution issues in ecological and environmental protection inspections.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment will coordinate with relevant departments to strengthen overall planning, guidance, and consultation. Central and local finances will actively support community water body protection and treatment. Pilot zones for Beautiful China will take the lead in completing protection and treatment tasks. Local governments at all levels will assume primary responsibility to ensure effective implementation.