On Sept. 28, Minister Li Ganjie presided over a ministerial executive meeting which deliberated and adopted in principle the Measures on the Monitoring and Early Warning of the Water Environment Quality in the Yangtze River Basin (on trial).  

The meeting held that to inform the local governments on local water environment quality and issue early warnings as necessary, based on the monitoring data and assessment of the surface water monitored sections under national monitoring program in the Yangtze River basin, is considerably important for urging the local implementation of the water pollution control responsibilities and improving the water environment quality. It is important to raise the political stance, put the restoration of the Yangtze River at an overarching position, and avoid major development programs in the Yangtze River basin.  

The meeting decided that the development of the automatic monitoring stations will be accelerated, the managerial and technical systems will be updated, and the monitoring and early warning will be made more efficient and accurate in this basin, with an aim at the full-scale automation of the water environment monitoring and early warning. In the meantime, the early warnings will be so rated as to highlight the relevance, feasibility, and efficacy, so that the prefectural governments across the basin will take prompt measures to improve the local water quality.  

The meeting also addressed other matters.  

Vice Ministers Huang Runqiu, Zhao Yingmin, and Liu Hua, Chief Discipline Inspector and Chief Supervisor Wu Haiying, and Vice Minister Zhuang Guotai presented at the meeting.  

Other leading officials of the Inspector’s Office and Supervisor’s Office and the principal officials of the internal departments and relevant affiliated institutions observed the meeting.