Waters surrounding the Xisha Islands are generally of high quality, according to a recent bulletin released by the Hainan government.
The annual bulletin published Wednesday by Hainan's Department of Ecology and Environment Protection showed that waters surrounding the Xisha Islands, for example, near Yongxing Island, Zhaoshu Island and Ganquan Island, belong to the first-class water level, the Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
According to national water quality standards issued by China's State Oceanic Administration in 1982, first-class water is suitable for establishing marine fishery zones, marine nature reserves and endangered species protected zones; second-class water is suitable for establishing aquaculture zones, bathing beaches, and sports entertainment areas that are safe for human contact or industrial areas with safe drinking water.
The bulletin said that 92.8 percent of 80 monitoring sites in the coastal areas of Hainan showed that the waters are safe for endangered species and for human contact and compared with 2014, the quality of coastal waters remained stable in 2015. It also said that the local government has invested 1.07 million yuan ($162,589) for monitoring instruments. Waters near 20 major tourist areas also meet the first and second criteria.
