Fujian leads the nation in terms air and water quality and general living environment in 2018. [Photo/fjsen.com]

Fujian continued to lead the nation in terms of air and water quality and general living environment in 2018 while keeping itself on the fast lane of economic growth, a government press conference said on June 3. 

According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Fujian topped the ecological civilization index rankings in China in 2018. 

In the region's 12 main rivers, 95.8 percent of the water reached Grade III or higher in 2018, the baseline for potable water. China grades its water quality according to five levels, from Grade I to Grade V, with Grade V being the lowest. Among the 19 lakes in the province, 89.5 percent of the water reached potable levels. 

The air quality in Fujian met national standards 354 days out of the year in 2018. Xiamen and Fuzhou ranked seventh and eighth nationwide in terms of air quality. 

Fujian's forest coverage ratio surged to 66.8 percent and continued to lead among the country's provinces and regions. The figure, 0.85 percent higher than in 2014, placed the province in first place for consecutive 40 years, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

These strong results are inseparable from efforts made by the local government to control pollution and protect the environment.

Fujian was officially designated a national ecological conservation pilot zone in 2016, the first in the country.