The water and air quality in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province saw great improvement in the past year.

According to the Quzhou ecology and environment bureau, the city's surface water environmental quality ranked second in the province and 16th in the country, a record high performance.

From January to December last year, the water quality of 12 national controlled sections and 15 provincial controlled sections in the city reached Grade Ⅱ level or above, while the water quality of eight centralized drinking water sources above the county level reached Grade Ⅱ level or above.

The general air quality index in the city increased from 3.36 to 3.28 in 2022. Its PM10 and nitrogen dioxide level decreased by 5 micrograms per cubic meter and 3 mg per cu m respectively compared with the same period last year.

The city recorded a 92.6 percent proportion of days with good air quality last year, while its average PM2.5 concentration was 26 mg per cu m. The urban air quality was better than the national secondary standard.

The good ecological environment has made the city a livable paradise for rare species.

A growing number of migratory birds have taken the city as their southern habitat, with rare birds like the Chinese merganser spotted in the city.

In addition, the hooded crane, a national first-class protected wild animal, was spotted for the first time in the wetland area of Qujiang.

A hooded crane, a national first-class protected wild animal, is spotted in the wetland area of Qujiang in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]