Three of China's major rivers, Haihe, Liaohe and Huaihe, are heavily polluted, according to the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) in a report released here Tuesday.

Water pollution in China is ranked into five categories with the fifth being the worst.

A survey of 345 bodies of water and 175 rivers show that about 46.7 percent of water pollution is between first to third category and 24.9 percent between fourth and fifth category. Water pollution below the fifth category accounts for 28.4 percent of water surveyed, says the report.

Huaihe River, Haihe River and Liaohe River are heavily polluted in central, northern and northeastern China. Among the 50 water areas of Huaihe River monitored, only 66 percent meet goal. About 40.7 percent of the water scores lower than the fifth category.

Among the 20 water areas of Liaohe River under monitoring, 55 percent are worse than fifth category and the figure for Haihe River is as high as 57.5 percent.

The Yangtze River, China's longest, has relatively good water quality, including water in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, the report says. The Yellow River is in mid-level pollution and did not have obvious changes compared with last month and the same period last year.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2005)