The Yangtze River provides one third of the country's freshwater resources, but it has met lots of environmental problems in recent years, such as heavy pollution and overfishing.

This suggests that the quality of life of those relying on the river as a freshwater source could be improved considerably by addressing the individual pollution problems.

Poor sanitation also contributes significantly to water pollution—adding to the cost of safe freshwater for households, and reducing the production of fish in rivers and lakes.