Over the past year, the comprehensive management of the Chaohu Lake basin has produced impressive results.

Water quality is the most direct indicator of the effectiveness of Chaohu's management efforts. Statistics show that in 2023, the water quality of Chaohu Lake remained at Grade IV, with the average water quality reaching Grade III in the first half of the year, marking the best level since monitoring records began. The concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen decreased by 19.5% and 23.4% respectively compared to the previous year. In terms of the water quality of key rivers, the proportion of national assessment sections in the Chaohu Lake basin with good or excellent water quality increased from 60% in 2016 to over 90% in 2023. All eight major rivers flowing into the lake reached Grade III or above, with the Nanfei River's water quality achieving Grade III for the first time. 

The improvement in water quality is attributed to the continuous implementation of the comprehensive management projects for Chaohu Lake. Adhering to the principle of protecting the lake through river management, a comprehensive advancement of protective management projects for 34 clear-water rivers has been carried out, with a focus on treating four heavily polluted rivers that flow into the lake.

In terms of infrastructure construction, last year, the comprehensive management project for Chaohu Lake arranged and implemented 142 projects with an investment of 10.45 billion yuan. By the end of 2023, 29 urban sewage treatment plants had been built, with a total processing capacity of 3.432 million tons per day, an increase of 1.842 million tons per day compared to ten years ago.

Ecological restoration of the basin is an important aspect of the comprehensive management of Chaohu Lake. To strengthen ecological improvements within the basin, our province has solidly advanced the "Landscape Project" in the Chaohu Lake basin. Data indicates that by the end of December 2023, out of the 47 sub-projects within the Chaohu "Landscape Project," 26 have been completed, with an investment of 9.46 billion yuan. A cumulative total area of 921 square kilometers has been restored for ecological protection, with 352.95 hectares of mine ecological restoration and 417.1 hectares of wetland restoration. 

Source: Anhui Daily