Beijing: China will expand its water monitoring network system to include over 200 additional small water bodies and introduce ecological indicators during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on Tuesday. China has achieved positive results in keeping its waters clear, Jiang Huohua, head of the ministry’s Department of Water Ecology and Environment, stated at a press conference.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the proportion of surface-water bodies at or above Grade III in the country’s five-tier water quality system stood at 89 percent in the first half of 2025, significantly exceeding the target set for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). From 2015 to 2024, the proportion of surface-water bodies at or above Grade III rose from 64.5 percent to 90.4 percent, marking nine consecutive years of improvement.

The water monitoring network will extend beyond major rivers to include tributaries and small water bodies during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, to better reflect the conditions of water ecosystems closer to residential communities, Jiang explained. He emphasized that when setting water ecological goals, it is important to include relevant water ecological indicators alongside physical and chemical indicators to better reflect the conditions of the aquatic ecosystem.