After years of construction, water pollution control work in China has made remarkable achievements, but the water pollution situation is still very grim. In 2005, the total amount of 52.45 billion wastewater discharge m3, industrial wastewater discharge compliance rate was 91.2%, urban sewage treatment rate was 37.4%. COD emissions in 2005 14.142 million t, ammonia emissions to 1.498 million t. The industrial waste water accounted for 39% to 35%, 61% of urban sewage to 65%, urban sewage has become a major source of pollution.

According to the China State Environmental Protection Administration of Environmental Quality issued a notice of the seven major river systems in the Pearl River and Yangtze River water quality is better, Liaohe River, Huaihe River, Yellow River, Songhua River, poor water quality, and Haihe River pollution. 411 surface water monitoring sections, Ⅰ - Ⅲ class section of only 41%, Ⅳ - Ⅴ class sections accounted for 32%; inferior Ⅴ Grade V 27%, indicating that 59% of the river unsuitable as a drinking Water sources. Compared with rivers, lakes, reservoirs, pollution is more serious. In 2005, the 28 key state-controlled lakes and reservoirs, to meet Grade Ⅱ of only two, only to meet Grade Ⅲ 6; Ⅳ - Ⅴ Grade 8, inferior Ⅴ class of 12, that is, 72% of the lakes and reservoirs should not be used as drinking water, 43% of the lakes and reservoirs have lost the use of functions. At present, 25% of the groundwater is polluted, 35% of the groundwater sources fail; plain about 54% of the basement do not meet water quality standards. According to a national survey of 118 ground water, 97.5% of urban groundwater pollution in varying degrees. More than half of urban groundwater pollution in the city. In 2005, ground water pollution in major cities there is increasing trend of 21 cities, reduce pollution trends in 14 cities, the basic stability of groundwater quality in 123 cities, indicating that groundwater pollution should pay attention to.

Rivers, lakes and groundwater pollution suffered a direct impact on drinking water sources. From the State Environmental Protection Administration, a group of latest data show that our drinking water, 50% are unsafe. Currently there are about 190 million rural people drinking excessive levels of harmful substances. Concentration of urban sewage discharge, severe excess capacity of water purification, water quality in many cities there is water shortage problem. From 2001 to 2004, the national water pollution accidents occurred in 3988, an average of nearly 1,000 each year since 2005 Songhua River pollution incident occurred in the Pearl River North River cadmium contamination, Tuo pollution incidents and other major water pollution incident in the country and The international impact of causing very serious.
In 2005, the ocean waters to maintain good water quality, local coastal waters pollution is serious, Ⅳ Ⅳ class and worse than 23.9% water. Degree of pollution of Jiaozhou Bay and the Minjiang River mouth, bad water, 50% class Ⅳ; Pearl River estuary, Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay, serious pollution, Ⅳ class, the proportion of poor water type Ⅳ -80% and 60%; Yangtze River estuary, Hangzhou Beach pollution is serious, the inferior class of water-based Ⅳ.

In 2005, the whole sea of red tide were found in 82, the cumulative occurrence of an area of ​​about 27070km2, including red tides of toxic algae, caused a substantial increase in the number and area. Concentrated in large areas of red tide in the central area of Zhejiang, the Yangtze River estuary area, Bohai Bay and Haizhou Bay, the East China Sea remains the hardest hit by red tide.