China achieved all of its 2024 goals for ecological and environmental improvement, with many targets surpassed, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on Sunday.

Huang made the remarks while reporting to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which started on Sunday and will run through Wednesday.

Following a year-on-year decrease of 2.7 percent, the average density of PM2.5 particulate matter in major cities nationwide reached 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter last year, compared to the annual target of 32.2 micrograms, Huang said.

He noted that major cities experienced fairly good air quality — defined as an index below 100 on the 0-500 air quality scale — on 87.2 percent of days last year, up 1.7 percentage points year-on-year and 0.3 percentage points higher than the yearly goal.

The proportion of surface water achieving Grade I, II or III quality levels in 2024 surpassed the 85 percent target set for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Huang said.

China uses a five-tier system for surface water quality, with Grade I being the best. Water graded at or above Grade III is considered fairly good and suitable for most aquatic organisms.

In 2024, 90.4 percent of surface water was found to be at or above Grade III, up 1 percentage point from a year earlier, marking the first time the proportion exceeded 90 percent, Huang said.

He highlighted the significant progress made in pollution control at Taihu Lake — the country's third-largest freshwater lake in the lower Yangtze River region — and the Songhua River in Northeast China.

"Last year, the quality of water in Taihu Lake reached the level of being fairly good for the first time in the past 30 years," he said, adding that the Songhua River also rid itself of its lightly polluted status in 2024.

Huang outlined a range of measures that contributed to the progress, including sustained efforts to minimize pollution from coal burning.

In 2024, ultra-low emission upgrades were completed for 130 million metric tons of crude steel production capacity. Additionally, about 2 million rural households in northern China shifted from burning coal to using clean fuels for home heating.

Nationwide, 17,000 kilometers of sewage pipelines were constructed or renovated last year. Black and odorous water bodies were eliminated in cities at and above the prefecture level, and 80 percent of such water bodies in county seats were cleaned.

Huang also said that 1,440 tailings ponds in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and 360 such ponds in the Yellow River Basin were effectively treated.

Despite the progress, Huang emphasized that improvements in ecological and environmental quality are not yet fully consolidated and that China still faces significant challenges in advancing its Beautiful China Initiative.

This year, the ministry will focus on "deepening reform of ecological civilization institutions and making concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development and pursue economic growth," he said.

He stressed China's commitment to coordinating ecological and environmental protection with green, low-carbon development.

"While consistently advancing the battle for blue skies, clear waters and clean soil to ensure steady and continuous improvement in ecological and environmental quality, the country will accelerate a thorough transition toward eco-friendly socioeconomic development," Huang said.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn