Beijing vows more efforts to improve water quality

Beijing pledged to step up measures in improving water quality after it finished the treatment of 141 black and odorous rivers last year, according to the municipal water authority on Wednesday.

After the tough new controls are fully implemented, residents should see no garbage floating on the rivers and ponds, and no black and odorous water exposed inside the capital this year, said Yang Jinhuai, deputy director of the Beijing Water Authority on Wednesday in a meeting promoting the high-quality development of Beijing.

The capital has finished all projects to tackle the pollution of the 141 black and odorous rivers and ponds, which had been marked as severely polluted, he said, adding that the water quality for major water sources has improved last year.

According to data released by the Beijing Water Authority, until the end of 2018, Beijing had completed the major construction of 15 recycled water factories, utilizing 1.07 billion cubic meters of renewable water.

The recycled water has served as a stable source for multiple uses for industrial production, municipal services, as well as a water and lake supplement, making it a reliable second source for water use, Yang said.

The central authorities issued an action plan on black and odorous water treatment in 2015, vowing to ensure the number of such water bodies in all prefecture-level cities should cover no more than 10 percent of their total by 2020.