An aerial photo of Zibo, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/Zibo Daily]
The prefecture-level city of Zibo in East China's Shandong was recently ranked number one in the province in water quality evaluations released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
Data showed that from January to July, the proportion of good quality water in the city increased to 71.4 percent, up from 50 percent for the same period in 2020.
The changes came in the wake of three special actions conducted by the municipal government to improve the water catchment area environment this year, focused on raising the water quality.
Special investigations and remedial action were carried out at the city's urban sewage treatment plants. This involved checking their capacity and operating conditions for sewage and sludge treatment and isolating and resolving any problems that were identified. Zibo officials also intensified its efforts to counter data that misrepresented sewage discharges not up to standard.
In addition, the municipal water authority conducted a sediment dredging program on 13 rivers and waterways - involving about 29 kilometers - and cleaned up agricultural waste in eight rivers of about 23 km in length. It investigated 171 sewage treatment plants and water-related companies and 66 sewage treatment facilities in rural areas.
It reportedly detected and removed 42 safety hazards in key areas where chemicals companies operated including cofferdams, rainwater collection facilities and emergency pools.
Other efforts also included establishing water quality information sharing and reporting systems to clarify the responsibilities of districts and counties at various levels.
