Twenty years of China's water pollution control: Experiences and challenges

Water pollution is a major environmental problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. China's environmental protection strategies have been pushed to the highest priority in history, driving remarkable achievements in water pollution control, but were also coupled with new challenges. In this study, we analyzed diverse long-term data (i.e. water quality, WWTPs, pollutant discharge etc.) to systematically understand the process of water pollution control in China in the last twenty years. The results highlighted that the collection and treatment capacity of wastewater in China approached the developed country level, with the treatment rates exceeding 90% both in urban and country areas. The environmental quality of surface water was continuously improved, but water pollution problems remained in the river basins of eastern China, with remarkable economic progress. Rapid economic growth rather than population growth was the limiting factor for water pollution control in China. Therefore, more efforts should be made to further improve wastewater collection and treatment capacity and address the gap between effluent discharge limits for wastewater treatment plants and environmental quality standards for surface water. China's progress toward water pollution control provided important insights for other developing countries.

Automated summary

Water pollution is a major global environmental problem, especially in developing countries. China has made remarkable achievements in water pollution control in the past twenty years, with wastewater collection and treatment capacity reaching a level similar to developed countries. Although the environmental quality of surface water has continuously improved, water pollution problems persist in the eastern river basins alongside remarkable economic progress. Rapid economic growth, rather than population growth, is the limiting factor for water pollution control in China. Further efforts are needed to enhance wastewater collection and treatment capacity and bridge the gap between effluent discharge limits and surface water quality standards. China's progress in water pollution control provides valuable insights for other developing countries.