5 June 2017: The MEP has released the 2016 State of Environment Report. The key message was that 2016 represented a decisive year for the foundation of a well-off society based on good environmental quality. The report showed significant improvement in several areas but also emphasised that much progress is still needed to win the “war on pollution”.

Focusing on water, the report showed a marked improvement in groundwater quality. Meanwhile, the quality of water in China’s major river basins also generally improved with one notable exception in the Songhua river. Below are the key water takeaways from the 2016 State of Environment Report:

Groundwater quality

• Excellent: 10.10%
• Good: 25.40%
• Satisfactory: 4.40%
• Bad: 45.40%
• Very bad: 14.70%

Key River Basins – water quality

• Grade I-III: 71.2%
• Grade IV-V: 19.7%
• Grade V+: 9.10%

Key Lakes & Reservoirs – water quality

• Grade I-III: 66.0%
• Grade IV-V: 25.90%
• Grade V+: 5.40%

For more in-depth analyses and trends from the report see our review! Meanwhile, the full report  is available here (Chinese only).