Harbin in China's northernmost Heilongjiang province has worked wonders in recent years in terms of protecting its ecological environment, fully implementing the concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.”
 
The city has introduced a three-year action plan to improve its air quality, implementing comprehensive measures to combat air pollution, strengthening the control of straw burning, and responding quickly to heavily polluted skies.
 
By 2022, the average concentration of PM2.5 in Harbin was 37 micrograms per cubic meter, with 310 days rated as having excellent air quality, an increase of 32 days from 2021. It has since continued on this upward trajectory.
 
Harbin has also implemented comprehensive measures to treat the entire Songhua River basin, completing 382 major rectification points by 2022.
 
Similar efforts to rid the Ashi River of pollutants have seen it achieve Class III water quality standards in terms of the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and oxygen.
 
Meanwhile, Harbin has strengthened its control of environmental risks in centralized drinking water sources, while the quality of the water sources on Mopan Mountain now 100 percent comply with all the related safety guidelines.
 
The national water quality assessment for Harbin in 2022 rated 84 percent of its water sources as being of "excellent" quality, up 8 percentage points from 2021. Significant progress has especially been made in the treatment of the Feiketu and Shaoling rivers.
 
Moreover, Harbin has coordinated the prevention and control of soil and groundwater pollution, as well as taking systematic steps to control pollution levels in rural areas.
 
The city has also won approval for the province's first "point-to-point" targeted exemption management pilot project. The submission and review rates for solid waste environmental management information in Harbin now rank first in the province, with the related rate of completion ranking second.
 
The safe utilization rate of agricultural land in the city remains above 90 percent, and the safe utilization of key construction land has been guaranteed, ensuring the high level of cleanliness of the city's soil.
 
Harbin has also made progress in its comprehensive treatment of rural environments, effectively addressing the environmental issues that people face.