On February 22, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) released its report on the water quality of seven river systems in January.

Compared with December, standards were deemed to be basically stable, with three major rivers, the Haihe, Liaohe and Huaihe, remaining heavily polluted.
   
River pollution was graded into categories, the first being the best, the second to third fit for drinking and domestic use, and the fourth suitable for use in industry. Fifth category water is approved for some agricultural uses, but that below the fifth is considered unusable.
   
Data collected from 345 sections of 175 rivers found 46.7 percent of water to be first to third category and 24.9 percent fourth to fifth. The amount ranked below fifth category - unfit for any use - was 28.4 percent.
   
Of the samples from the Haihe, Liaohe and Huaihe, 57.5, 55 and 40.7 percent respectively failed to qualify even as fifth category, meaning they remain the most severely polluted rivers in China.
   
According to the report, the Yangtze has relatively good water quality. In the Three Gorges Reservoir area and the main body of the river, 78.6 percent made first to third category, 14.6 fourth to fifth and 6.8 below fifth.

The equivalent figures for the upper reaches of the Yangtze combined with the Three Gorges Reservoir area were given as 76.7, 14, 9.3 percent respectively.

Of samples tested from the Yellow River, 32.4 percent were first to third category, 35.1 fourth to fifth and 32.5 completely unusable.

Twenty-one lakes and reservoirs were also surveyed, and the water quality of reservoirs was found to be better than those of lakes.

The SEPA has produced monthly water quality reports since March 2003 to increase awareness of river pollution and promote measures to reduce it.

The seven river systems monitored are the Yangtze, Yellow River, Pearl River, Songhua River, Huaihe, Haihe and Liaohe.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2005)