River chiefs keep water bodies clean

Oversight mechanism improves health of country's environment

China has extended its river chief system across the country, with 300,000 officials appointed as chiefs to protect water bodies, the top water resources authority said on Tuesday.

About 400 of the river chiefs are provincial-level officials, and 59 are heads of their provinces. The system has been established in all 31 provincial regions on the Chinese mainland half a year earlier than planned, E Jingping, minister of water resources, said at a news conference.