BEIJING — The Yangtze River basin has seen improved water quality over the past five years, official sources said on Jan 5.

No water of the Yangtze River basin was below Grade V by 2020, Luo Guosan, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference.

Surface water quality is divided into five grades in China, with Grade I being the best, while water below Grade V is too polluted even for farm irrigation.

Back in 2016, the proportion of water below Grade V in the Yangtze River basin stood at 3.5 percent and the figure dropped to 0.6 percent in 2019, according to Luo.

Meanwhile, the proportion of water with relatively good quality (at or above Grade III) rose to 96.3 percent as of November 2020, compared with 82.3 percent in 2016.

China will make comprehensive plans to protect the ecological environment of the river. These plans include launching anti-pollution campaigns and striving to achieve breakthroughs in key-industry green development as well as the conservation and restoration of the basin.