Some may argue that since many industrial facilities in China are now situated in suburban areas, they pose little threat to urban water supplies, making Water Quality Monitoring less needed. However, this view is fundamentally unreasonable.
Water sources, particularly surface water bodies, are often interconnected. For instance, untreated industrial wastewater discharged directly from factories can infiltrate soil, causing soil degradation as well as groundwater contamination. Consequently, regular monitoring of surface water is imperative to secure water safety. While environmental protection awareness has generally improved, and most factories carry out treatment for gaseous emissions and wastewater before discharge, a small number of operators still focus on cutting costs while neglecting regulatory requirements. Cases include direct discharge of untreated effluent and incomplete treatment processes, without real time Online Water Quality Monitoring to check whether harmful substance indicators meet relevant standards. Such behaviors may bring about serious groundwater pollution. As a large share of domestic water supplies comes from groundwater, pollution of such water sources will create direct impacts on daily water use.
Water quality has far reaching influences on various living organisms. Water safety needs to be guaranteed in multiple scenarios, not only inside industrial production enterprises, which are just one category of relevant sites. No operator can fully rule out the discharge of industrial wastewater or the presence of harmful substances in treated effluent. Apart from industrial pollution, agricultural activities including excessive application of fertilizers also bring risks to groundwater quality. Farmers apply fertilizers to boost crop growth, yet such operations may result in groundwater contamination. Landfills and other human‑related activities constitute additional risk sources. Hence, measures shall be taken to reduce fertilizer application, prevent improper waste disposal, and encourage public participation in water resource protection. Even so, Online Water Quality Monitoring covering relevant sites is still highly necessary, as it serves as an important foundation for defending water safety against potential risks.
