History and current status of river pollution in China (1980s-2020s)

History and current status of river pollution in China (1980s-2020s)

Since the 1980s, rapid urbanization and industrialization in China have caused rivers to become severely polluted: in the 1990s, more than 90% of rivers in urban areas such as Beijing and Shanghai contained toxic constituents and were polluted above standards. While 83.4% of surface water was improved to high quality, groundwater contamination remained severe, with only 13.6% of groundwater suitable for drinking. The government is promoting the "South Water North Tunnel Project" to resolve water shortages and pollution, but further measures are needed to fundamentally improve pollution from industrial and urban wastewater.