The Yangtze, the third largest river in the world, is less polluted than expected according to scientists. However, the findings should not be taken a sign to sit back as huge amounts of pollution are poured into the river each year.

Chinese and Swiss scientists examined the river and discovered that the levels of pollution in the river were less than they had expected. However, they believe that the low levels of pollution are because there are huge amounts of water in the river and this dilutes the farm and industrial waste that is poured in on an annual basis – this waste is a serious hazard to plants and animals alike.

Despite the water quality being better than expected, it has still deteriorated over the past few years. Around 25 billion tonnes of waste are poured into the river each year – this is an enormous amount of pollution and it is only thanks to the large dilution rate caused by the high water flow than ensures that the Yangtze has levels of pollution comparable to other rivers.

Most of the pollution is from the mineral fertilizers used in farming and agriculture – in the past 20 years, the levels of nitrogen found in the way has doubled. Industrial waste also leaves it mark thanks to heavy metals. Scientists testing the area around the delta found large amounts of nitrogen and arsenic in the water and sediment.

Nitrates are bad because the more that enters the sea, the more blue-green algae can grow. The more of the algae that are present, the scarcer oxygen in the water becomes.

Scientists believe that China needs to start looking at water management and water protection to ensure that the pollution situation does not get any worse. They point to the quality of the water in several European rivers – only a short time ago, they too were polluted but through careful management, water quality has been significantly improved.

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