Recently, the Department of Urban Construction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Department of Water Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly summoned two county-level cities for talks over their weak progress in tackling urban black and odorous water bodies.

The talks noted that "basically eliminating urban black and odorous water bodies" is a task explicitly set forth in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In response to the lagging progress, the summoned cities must thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party and Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, further raise their political stance, strengthen the implementation of responsibilities, vigorously tackle pollution at the source, and solidly advance the treatment of urban black and odorous water bodies.

At the meeting, those responsible for the treatment of urban black and odorous water bodies in the summoned cities all made statements, expressing their sincere acceptance of the talks, their commitment to facing the problems squarely, drawing inferences from one case to another, improving mechanisms, and resolutely winning the tough battle against urban black and odorous water bodies.