The water quality in Shenzhen’s rivers improved significantly, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Saturday, citing the latest data from the Shenzhen Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau. Among them, the water quality in the Shenzhen River reached its best level in 40 years.
Monitoring data showed that for the first half of the year, the water quality of 12 national and nine provincial test sections fully reached the required standard, and good water quality rate increased significantly to 95.2% from 28.6% in 2016. None of the sections were listed as worse than Grade V.
The water quality of the national test section of the Shenzhen River has reached Grade IV, the best level since monitoring data were first made available in 1982.
The water quality of the national test section of the Maozhou River in Gonghe Village improved from worse than Grade V to Grade III, the best level since 1992.
Data also showed that the water quality of the Shawan River (the main tributary of the Shenzhen River), Buji River and Futian River has also improved significantly compared with previous years.
The Shawan River’s water quality reached Grade III, one grade better year on year. The water quality of the Buji River reached Grade IV, two grades better than that of the previous year. The water quality of the Futian River reached Grade II, leapfrogging four grades.
In the process of rapid urbanization, water pollution was once the biggest environmental problem in Shenzhen. Since 2016, local government has taken water quality control as the largest livelihood project and has made great efforts to tackle water pollution.
Authorities in Shenzhen have clearly stated that “all projects must make way for water treatment.”
After treatment, Shenzhen’s water environment has achieved a historic, fundamental and overall improvement.
The Shenzhen Municipal Government said in its annual work report this year that the city will build five water purification plants, increase the sewage treatment capacity by 628,000 tons per day and increase the centralized sewage collection rate to over 85%.