Wuxi is home to 5,635 rivers and 19 reservoirs, accounting for 32.4 percent of Wuxi's total area.

As the city is built along a river and renowned for its beautiful waterscapes, "river" is consequently the top concern of the local citizens.

In recent years, although positive results have been yielded in controlling water pollution, there are still some watercourses with poor water quality with horrible smells, especially in the warmer days.

To improve this issue, watercourses are regarded as one of the priorities for municipal government's work in the next year.

Representatives from environmental protection organizations believe that several simultaneous measures should be taken to restore clear and fresh watercourses for the citizens.

They suggested that the river chief system — in which government officials are assigned to take charge of protecting waterways in their designated areas — should be strictly carried out by connecting the river chiefs' performance with financial subsidies and assessment on local leaders.

There should be zero tolerance to polluting rivers in the whole society and an award fund should also be established to encourage citizens to help supervise the water quality.