China reports further improvements in air, water quality in first three quarters

BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's air and water quality continued to improve in the first three quarters of this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said on Wednesday.

The average density of PM2.5 -- a key indicator measuring air pollution -- came in at 26 micrograms per cubic meter in 339 Chinese cities at or above the prefecture level in the January-September period, which was down 5.1 percent year on year, ministry spokesperson Pei Xiaofei told a press conference.

In the first nine months, 87.6 percent of days had good air quality, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous year.

The ministry also revealed that during the period, 89 percent of the 3,641 surface-water sections and sites monitored by the country were graded Class I to III, indicating good quality, up 0.5 percentage points from the same period last year.

Surface-water quality is divided into five classes in China, with Class I being the best quality. In the first three quarters, there was a 0.7 percent proportion of Class V water bodies, remaining level with last year.