Problems and solutions encountered in water quality monitoring

At a time when the world is paying more and more attention to environmental protection, the importance of water quality monitoring is self-evident. However, its development has encountered many bottlenecks. On the one hand, the uneven distribution of monitoring points and the insufficient number of monitoring points cannot fully and accurately reflect the water quality of the water area. Taking a large lake as an example, only a few monitoring points are set up sporadically around it, and the center of the lake and other areas have been in the monitoring blind spot for a long time. Once the water quality is abnormal, it is difficult to detect it in time. On the other hand, the aging of monitoring equipment and lagging technology have resulted in poor detection capabilities for trace pollutants and emerging pollutants. For example, some old sensors have extremely low detection sensitivity for some new pesticide residues, which cannot meet the increasingly stringent monitoring needs. At the same time, the massive monitoring data lacks unified standards and effective sharing mechanisms, forming "data islands" with low utilization rates. ​

In response to these thorny issues, industry experts and relevant departments have taken active actions. In order to optimize the layout of monitoring points, multiple departments such as water conservancy and environmental protection have jointly conducted research and scientifically planned additional monitoring points based on factors such as water functions and water flow directions. In terms of technological innovation, we will increase capital investment and encourage enterprises to develop new monitoring equipment, such as high-sensitivity sensors made of nanomaterials, which have greatly improved detection accuracy compared to traditional equipment. In terms of data management, we will start to build a national water quality monitoring data sharing platform to break down data barriers between departments and regions, promote data circulation, provide strong support for water quality management decisions, and help the water quality monitoring industry reach new heights.