Report
On the State of the Environment In China
2 0 0 3
The Freshwater Environment
General Situation
Among the 407 key sections on the seven major river systems, which were monitored in 2003, 38.1% met Grades I-III water quality standards, 32.2% were Grade IV and Grade V, and 29.7% were worse than Grade V. Among the 118 nationally controlled sections on the seven major river systems, 53.4% were Grades I-III, 37.3% were Grade IV and Grade V, and 9.3% were worse than Grade V. The water quality of mainstreams was generally better than that of the branches. Pollution in the Haihe River System was serious: more than 50% of river sections monitored were Grade V. The water quality of Liaohe River was poor: 40.6% of river sections monitored were Grade V. The water quality of the Yellow River was poor too: pollution in its branches was bad in general. The mainstream of Huaihe River was mostly Grade IV, and its branches and river sections along provincial boundaries also had poor quality. Songhuajiang River was mostly Grade IV. The Pearl River and the mainstream and major branches of the Yangtze River had good water quality and were mostly Grade II.
The seven major river systems can be put into the following order, in terms of the seriousness of pollution according to the comprehensive pollution index: Haihe, Liaohe, the Yellow River, Huaihe, Songhuajiang, Yangtze River, and the Pearl River.
Compared with the previous year, pollution in Haihe, Liaohe, and Huaihe Rivers had been alleviated to some extent, whereas pollution in Songhuajiang, the Pearl River, and the Branches of the Yellow River had become more serious.
The main pollutants of the seven river systems were organic pollution. Main pollution indicators were: petroleum, BOD, ammonia nitrogen, permanganate index, volatile phenols, and mercury.
Water Quality of the Seven Major River Systems
Main River Systems
The Yangtze River System:
There were 103 nationally controlled river sections. Among them, 71.8% were Grades I-III, 17.5% were Grades IV-V, and 10.7% were worse than Grade V.The main pollution indicators were petroleum, and ammonia nitrogen.
The Yellow River System: The overall water quality of the Yellow River System was medium pollution. Among the 44 nationally controlled sections, 38.7% were worse than Grade 5. Among the 22 sections monitored on the mainstream, 31.8% were Grades II-III, 54.6% were Grades IV-V, and 13.6% were worse than Grade V. The water quality of the mainstream was better than that of the branches.
The main pollution indicators were petroleum, ammonia nitrogen, and permanganate index.
Water Quality of the Yellow River Systems
The Pearl River System: The overall water quality of the Pearl River was quite good. Among the 33 nationally controlled sections, 81.8% were Grades I-III, 12.1% were Grade IV, and 6.1% were worse than Grade V.
The main pollution indicators were volatile phenol, ammonia nitrogen, and petroleum.
Water Quality of the Pearl River System
The Songhuajiang River System:
Among the 41 nationally controlled river sections, the percentage of sections that were Grades III, IV, V and worse than Grade V was 7.7%, 64.1%, 10.3%, and 17.9% respectively.The Nenjiang River and the mainstream of Songhuajiang River were mostly Grade IV water. The main pollution indicators were petroleum, ammonia nitrogen, and permanganate index.
Water Quality of the Songhuajiang River System
The Huaihe River System:
Of the 86 nationally controlled river sections, Grades II-III water accounted for 18.6%, Grades IV-V water accounted for 41.9%, and worse-than-Grade V water accounted for 39.5%.Among the 14 sections on the mainstream, the percentage of sections that were Grades II, III, IV, and V was 14.3%, 21.4%, 57.1%, and 7.1% respectively. 56.8% of the provincial reach has worse-than-Grade V water.
The main pollution indicators were ammonia nitrogen, petroleum, and BOD.
Water Quality of the Huaihe River System
The Haihe River System:
Among the 65 nationally controlled river sections, Grades I-III water accounted for 21.5%, Grade IV and V water accounted for 24.6%, and Grade V accounted for 53.9%. Pollution in Haihe River was still serious, and the water quality had been improved as compared with the previous year.The main pollution indicators were ammonia nitrogen, BOD, and petroleum.
Water Quality of the Haihe River System
Liaohe River System:
Among the 37 nationally controlled river sections, 29.7% were better than Grade III, 29.7% were Grade IV or Grade V, and 40.6% were worse than Grade V. The overall water quality of the Liaohe River was medium pollution.The main pollution indicators were BOD, petroleum, and volatile phenol.
Water Quality of the Liaohe River System
Rivers in the Zhejiang and Fujian Region:
Among the 30 river sections monitored on 18 rivers, 33.3% were Grade II, 30% were Grade III, and 36.7% were Grade IV. The main pollution indicators were volatile phenol, petroleum, and ammonia nitrogen.Rivers in the Southwestern Region: The overall water quality was light pollution. Among the 17 sections monitored on 10 rivers, 58.8% were Grade I and Grade II, 29.4% were Grade IV and V, and 11.8% were worse than Grade V. Two sections of Honghe River at Hekou County were seriously polluted. The main pollution indicators were lead and permanganate index.
Inland Rivers: The overall water quality was good. Among the 19 sections monitored on 7 rivers, 21.1%, 42.1%, 21%, and 15.8% were Grades I, II, III, and IV respectively. The main pollution indicator was petroleum.
The Reservoir Area of the Three Gorges: Among the 6 sections monitored, one was Grade III, and the other five were Grade II.
The South-North Water Transportation Line: Among the 12 sections monitored, one was Grade II, accounting for 8.3%; three were Grade IV, accounting for 25%; two were Grade V, accounting for 16.7%; and six were worse than Grade V, accounting for 50%. The main pollutants were ammonia nitrogen, BOD, and permanganate index.
Lakes and Reservoirs
In 2003, 28 major lakes and reservoirs were monitored. Among them, one was Grade II, accounting for 3.6%; six were Grade III, accounting for 21.4%; seven were Grade IV, accounting for 25%; four were Grade V, accounting for 14.3%; and ten were worse than Grade V, accounting for 35.7%.
Taihu Lake:
The water quality of Taihu's contributing rivers had been improved to some extent, but the main rivers were still seriously polluted. Among the 89 sections monitored, 58.4% met Grade I-III requirements for permanganate index. In terms of overall water quality, Grade II-III, IV-V, and worse-than-V accounted for 9.0%, 48.3%, and 42.7% of all sections monitored respectively. The main pollution indicators were ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and BOD.
Water Quality of Taihu Lake
Water Quality of Taihu Lake in 2002 and 2003
Water Quality of the Contributing Rivers of Taihu Lake
Comparison of the Water Quality of the Contributing Rivers of Taihu Lake between Years
Main Pollution Indicators of Taihu Lake in 2003
| Lake section | Permanganate index (mg/L) | Total phosphorus (mg/L) | Total Nitrogen (mg/L) | Nutrient indicators |
| Wulihu | 6.11 | 0.132 | 7.09 | 66.2 |
| Meilianghu | 5.38 | 0.109 | 4.79 | 63.0 |
| Western coast | 4.88 | 0.104 | 3.34 | 61.3 |
| Eastern coast | 3.76 | 0.039 | 1.75 | 49.8 |
| Lake center area | 3.73 | 0.049 | 2.05 | 54.1 |
| Average | 4.28 | 0.071 | 2.86 | 57.8 |
Dianchi Lake:
Dianchi Lake was seriously polluted. Compared with the previous year, the water quality had declined slightly. The water quality of both Caohai and Waihai was worse than Grade V. Caohai was more polluted than Waihai. The permanganate index of Waihai met Grade III standards. Total phosphorus was Grade V. The main pollution indicators were total nitrogen and total phosphorus. The nutrient indexes were 76.4 and 62.7 respectively for Caohai and Waihai, and was 72.0 for the entire lake on average. This indicated that the lake had serious eutrophication problems.
The water quality of the contributing rivers of Dianchi Lake was fairly poor. Four of the eight monitored sections were worse than Grade V, accounting for 50.0% of all the sections monitored. The main pollution indicators were ammonia nitrogen and
BOD.
Water Quality of the Contributing Rivers of Dianchi Lake
Main Pollution Indicators of Dianchi Lake in 2003
| Lake section | Permanganate index (Mg/L) | Total phosphorus(Mg/L) | Total nitrogen(Mg/L) | Eutrophication index |
| Caohai | 7.07 | 1.176 | 12.05 | 76.4 |
| Waihai | 5.45 | 0.163 | 2.07 | 62.7 |
| Average of the entire lake | 6.26 | 0.669 | 7.06 | 72.0 |
Chaohu Lake:
The western part of the lake was worse than Grade V. The eastern part of the lake was Grade V. On the average, the lake was worse than Grade V. Compared with the previous year, the water quality was about the same. Permanganate index reached Grade III water quality standards. The main pollution indicators were total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
An eutrophication assessment showed that the western part of the lake had medium-level eutrophication, the eastern part of the lake had light eutrophication, and the entire lake had medium-level eutrophication on average.
Among the 12 sections (including 2 pollutant loading control sections) monitored on the contributing rivers of the lake, four were Grade III, two were Grade IV, and six were worse than Grade V. The main pollution indicator was ammonia nitrogen.
Water Quality of the Contributing Rivers of Chaohu Lake
Main Pollution Indicators of
Chaohu Lake in 2003
| Lake section | Permanganate index (Mg/L) | Total phosphorus(Mg/L) | Total nitrogen(Mg/L) | Eutrophication index |
| Eastern lake | 4.19 | 0.103 | 1.52 | 54.2 |
| Western lake | 5.84 | 0.358 | 4.16 | 67.3 |
| Average of the entire lake | 5.02 | 0.231 | 2.84 | 62.7 |
Other Large Lakes:
Among the 10 other large fresh water lakes, Xingkai Lake was Grade II, Erhai and Bositeng were Grade III, Hongze and Boyang were Grade IV, Dongting was Grade V, Nansi, Baiyangdian, Dalai, and Jingpo were worse than Grade V. The main pollution indicators were total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and BOD. Erhai, Dongting and Boyang had medium eutrophiciation. Hongze, Dalai, and Nansi had light
eutrophication.
Lakes in Cities: Lakes in cities had poor water quality. Kunming Lake of Beijing and the Xihu Lake of Hangzhou were Grade IV. Xuanwu Lake of Nianjing, Donghu Lake of Wuhan, and Daming Lake of Jinan were worse than Grade V. The main pollution indicators were total nitrogen and total phosphorus.
Eutrophication assessment showed that Kunming Lake had medium eutrophication problems, and Daming Lake had serious eutrophication problems. The other three lakes had medium eutrophication problems.
Large Reservoirs: Among the 10 large reservoirs monitored, Miyun Reservoir, Qiandao Reservoir, Shimen Reservoir, and Dongpu Reservoir were Grade III, Yuqian Reservoir and Danjiangkou Reservoir were Grade IV, Dahuofang Reservoir and Songhuahu Reservoir were Grade V, Laoshan Reservoir and Menlou Reservoir were worse than Grade V. The main
pollution indicators of these large reservoirs monitored were total nitrogen and total phosphorus. The eutrophiciation of these reservoirs was slight.
The Drinking Water Sources of Key Cities
The water quality of the drinking water sources of 47 key cities monitored was generally good. The water quality standards attainment rate was more than 80% (which was good) in 31 cities, among which 22 cities had water quality standards attainment rate of 100% (which was excellent). 8 cities had water quality standards attainment rate of between 50-79.9% (which was mediocre), and 8 cities had attainment rate of below 50% (which was poor). Compared with last year, the water quality of drinking water source areas of key cities had been generally stable.
The main pollution indicators exceeding water quality standards for surface water sources were total nitrogen, bacillus, and BOD. The main pollution indicators exceeding water quality standards for ground water sources were total hardness, and sulfates.
Water Quality of Large Freshwater Lakes in 2003
| Lake | Nutrient Index | Nutrient Index Grading | Water Quality Grading | Main Pollution Indicators |
| Xingkai | - | - | II | |
| Erhai | 46.6 | Medium nutrient | III | Total nitrogen |
| Hongze | 55.0 | Light eutrophication | IV | Total phosphorus |
| Boyang | 43.3 | Medium nutrient | IV | Total phosphorus, total nitrogen |
| Dongting | 44.1 | Medium nutrient | V | Total phosphorus |
| Baiyangdian | - | - | Worse than V | Total nitrogen, BOD |
| Dalai | 56.4 | Light eutrophication | Worse than V | Total nitrogen, total phosphorus |
| Jingpo | 47.8 | Medium nutrient | Worse than V | Total mercury |
| Bositeng | - | - | III | Total nitrogen |
| Nansi | 53.5 | Light eutrophication | Worse than V | Total nitrogen, total phosphorus |
Water Quality of Lakes in Cities in 2003
| Lake | Nutrient index | Nutrient index grading | Water quality grading | Main pollution indicators |
| Kunming | 47.2 | Medium nutrient | IV | Total nitrogen, petroleum |
| Xihu | 63.0 | Medium eutrophication | IV | Total phosphorus, total nitrogen |
| Xuanwu | 62.2 | Medium eutrophication | V | Total nitrogen, total phosphorus |
| Donghu | 66.4 | Medium eutrophication | Worse than V | Total phosphorus, total nitrogen |
| Daming | 73.4 | Serious eutrophication | Worse than V | Total nitrogen, total phosphorus |
Comparison of Water Quality Standards Attainment Rates of the Drinking Water Sources of Key
Cities
Ground Water:
Among the 194 key cities and regions monitored, 61 cities or regions (31.4%) had experienced rising ground water levels, 60 cities or regions (which were 31.0% of all cities and regions monitored, and were 19% less than last year) had experienced falling ground water levels, and 73 cities and regions (37.6%) had had stable ground water levels.
In 2003, the quality of groundwater had been generally stable, but there was a trend of deterioration. The ground water of most cities and regions monitored had been polluted by point or area sources. The polluted areas were mostly populous and highly industrialized downtown areas of cities. The indicators exceeding standards were mineral content, total hardness, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia nitrogen, iron, manganese, chlorides, sulfates, pH, fluorides, and phenols, etc. Iron, manganese, and three nitrogens pollutants were outstanding problems in almost all the regions across the country. Pollution caused by high mineral content, total hardness, and nitrates was significant, mostly in the northeastern, northern, eastern, southern and northwestern parts of the country.
The total amount of industrial and urban household wastewater discharged during the year was 46 billion tons, which was 4.7% more than the previous year. Among this, 21.24 billion tons were industrial wastewater, which was 2.5% more than the previous year; and 24.76 billion tons were urban household wastewater, which was 6.6% more than the previous year. In the industrial wastewater, the total amount of COD discharged was 13.336 million tons, which was 2.4% less than the previous year. Of industrial waste water, the discharge of COD was 5.119 million tons, down 12.3% against previous year. The amount of COD discharged in municipal household wastewater was 8.217 million tons, which was 5.0% higher than the previous year. The amount of ammonia nitrogen in the wastewater was 1.297 million tons, which was 0.7% more than the previous year. Among this, the amount of ammonia nitrogen discharged in industrial wastewater was 404,000 tons, which was 4.0% less than the previous year; and the amount of ammonia nitrogen discharged in municipal wastewater was 893,000 tons, which was 3.0% more than the previous year.
In 2003, the industrial wastewater discharge standards attainment rate was 89.2% across the country, which was 0.9% higher than the previous year. The attainment rate for key enterprises was 90.5%, which was 1.1% higher than the previous year. The attainment rate for other enterprises was 77.7%, which was 2.6% lower than the previous year.
Year-to-year Changes of Wastewater and COD Discharge
| Year | Wastewater discharge (100 million tons) | COD discharge (10,000 tons) | Ammonia nitrogen discharge(10,000 tons) | ||||||
| Total | Industrial | Household | Total | Industrial | Household | Total | Industrial | Households | |
| 1999 | 401.1 | 197.3 | 203.8 | 1388.9 | 691.7 | 697.2 | - | - | - |
| 2000 | 415.2 | 194.2 | 220.9 | 1445.0 | 704.5 | 740.5 | - | - | - |
| 2001 | 433.0 | 202.6 | 230.3 | 1404.8 | 607.5 | 797.3 | 125.2 | 41.3 | 83.9 |
| 2002 | 439.5 | 207.2 | 232.3 | 1366.9 | 584.0 | 782.9 | 128.8 | 42.1 | 86.7 |
| 2003 | 460.0 | 212.4 | 247.6 | 1333.6 | 511.9 | 821.7 | 129.7 | 40.4 | 89.3 |
| Annual change (%) | 4.7 | 2.5 | 6.6 | -2.4 | -12.3 | 5.0 | 0.7 | -4.0 | 3.0 |
Countermeasures and Actions
The Implementation Plan of the 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and the Three Lakes: The State Environmental Protection Administration formulated The Implementation Plan of the 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and the Three Lakes, and technical guides for the prevention and control of water pollution in the Three Gorges and the South-North Water Transportation Program.
Early-Warning Mechanism for Key Environmental Problems: The State Environmental Protection Administration established a quarterly reporting system for the water pollution situation of key river basins and marine areas, and an early-warning mechanism for key environmental problems. In cooperation with the Ministry of Water Conservancy, SEPA also established a reporting system for water quantity and quality and a conference system for key water issues.
Progress Made in the Construction of Key Water Pollution Prevention and Control Projects:
The 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and Three Lakes has 1,534 pollution control projects, with a total investment of RMB 103.63 billion. By the end of 2003, 472 projects (30.8%) had been completed, 310 projects (20.2%) were in progress, and 752 projects (49%) were to be kicked off. Greatest progress was made in Taihu River Basin: among the 255 planned projects, 137 projects (53.6%) had been completed, 93 projects (36.5%) were in progress, and 25 projects (9.8%) were to be kicked off. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, 75% of the planned projects had been completed or kicked off.
The Implementation Plan of the 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and the Three Lakes: The State Environmental Protection Administration formulated The Implementation Plan of the 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and the Three Lakes, and technical guides for the prevention and control of water pollution in the Three Gorges and the South-North Water Transportation Program.
Early-Warning Mechanism for Key Environmental Problems: The State Environmental Protection Administration established a quarterly reporting system for the water pollution situation of key river basins and marine areas, and an early-warning mechanism for key environmental problems. In cooperation with the Ministry of Water Conservancy, SEPA also established a reporting system for water quantity and quality and a conference system for key water issues.
Progress Made in the Construction of Key Water Pollution Prevention and Control Projects: The 10th Five-Year Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in the Three Rivers and Three Lakes has 1,534 pollution control projects, with a total investment of RMB 103.63 billion. By the end of 2003, 472 projects (30.8%) had been completed, 310 projects (20.2%) were in progress, and 752 projects (49%) were to be kicked off. Greatest progress was made in Taihu River Basin: among the 255 planned projects, 137 projects (53.6%) had been completed, 93 projects (36.5%) were in progress, and 25 projects (9.8%) were to be kicked off. In Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, 75% of the planned projects had been completed or kicked off.