BEIJING — China's air and water quality improved in the first quarter of the year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on April 22.

For major cities monitored by the ministry, the share of good air quality days stood at 83.8 percent in the first three months, up 2.9 percentage points year-on-year.

The average PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped 4.4 percent year-on-year to 43 micrograms per cubic meter.

Water quality also turned better, as 88.2 percent of the surface water was graded Class I to III (good quality) from January to March, up 5.2 percentage points from the same period last year, while the share of Class V water fell 1.1 percentage points year-on-year to 1 percent.