Environment quality in Fujian province has been taken down a notch, as many cities witnessed fewer clean days and more polluted drinking water resources, according to a quarterly environmental report on April 15.

The Fujian Provincial Department of Environmental Protection published a quarterly environmental report on April 16.

The rate of good air quality days in nine prefecture-level cities in Fujian reached 96.4 percent on average, down 2.8 percent from the previous year.

In big cities like Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen, however, the rate of clean days was much lower, 84.4, 85.6 and 84.4 percent, respectively, said the report issued by the Fujian Provincial Department of Environmental Protection.

Nitrogen dioxide is the primary pollutant for Fuzhou and Xiamen, while PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5 microns) affects Quanzhou.

Eighteen of Fujian’s 23 cities reported acid rain, flat with the same period last year. Thirteen cities saw acid rain frequency reach over 50 percent, with a horrible 100 percent observed in Quanzhou, Fuqing and Nanping.

The quality of drinking water has become a growing concern in the province, with the average standard rate hitting 79.7 percent, down 19 percent from last year. Xiamen and Longyan have the worst drinking water quality, with standard rates of 44.6 percent and 76.1 percent, respectively.

It is not all bad news though. Up to 87.9 percent of waters in Fujian reached a “functional” standard, up by 20.7 percent, said the report.

According to noise monitoring results in Fujian, Xiamen and Quanzhou, all three saw positive levels during the daytime, with standard rates at 80, 100 and 100 percent, respectively. But in terms of noise control at night, only Xiamen outperformed itself last year, with a standard rate at 70 percent, followed by 50 percent in Quanzhou and 40 percent in Fuzhou.