Study on the governance of black-odor water in Chinese cities

With China's rapid urbanization and the improvement of living standards, the number of black-odor water bodies in cities increase over time bring a huge threat to urban environment, city image, and the health of residents. Although water quality of rivers has achieved remarkable improvements due to a series of related policies, there are still some unreasonable mechanisms and insufficient supervision. In this paper, using descriptive statistics, we introduce the current situation of black-odor water bodies and analyze the governance mechanisms of black-odor water bodies at the national and provincial levels. We found that there are more black-odor water bodies in east and south-central China, compared to other areas. The causes of black-odor water bodies varies from economic development and natural environ-ment. Then, we explore measures taken by governments at different levels in the treatment of black-odor water bodies and their governance performance. As the largest developing country, China's experience in the treatment of black-odor water bodies may be a reference for other developing countries. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.