(Photo/Xinhua)

China's drinking water has become safer, as data shows that from January to November this year that the overall water environment quality across the country has continuously improved.

During the period, the proportion of water bodies with excellent surface water quality (Category I-III) nationwide was 78.9 percent, an increase of 2.6 percentage points year on year; the proportion of water bodies that lost their use function (inferior to Class V) was 3.1 percent, a decrease of 2.6 percentage points year on year, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

78.9 percent of water bodies with excellent surface water quality means that China's water quality has improved, drinking water is safer and the environment is more habitable.

Such an increase also translates into a better ecosystem. China has been committed to ecological restoration and the pace of improvement in China's aquatic ecosystem is accelerating.

Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has promoted the revision of water pollutant discharge standards in a number of industries such as alcohol and textiles, so as to promote the green transformation of traditional industries.

"Aquatic species are directly related to the improvement of water quality. Our research team conducted field surveys for half a year, and we can personally feel that the water quality of the Yangtze River is getting better, which is a good starting point for the restoration of biodiversity," said He Shunping, a researcher at the Institute of Aquatic Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.