URUMQI -- The water environment in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has been improved, the local ecology and environment authority said on Thursday.

Thanks to the strengthened management and supervision of surface water and sewage discharge, 94.5 percent of Xinjiang's surface water sections being assessed registered excellent quality in 2021, an increase of 3 percentage points over the previous year.

Of the 120 monitored sections of centralized drinking water sources in cities and towns, 114, or 95 percent, met the required standards, official data showed.

This year, Xinjiang will continue to protect drinking water sources, strengthen the management of the water environment, carry out pilot projects to use reclaimed water, and consolidate achievements in the control of black and odorous water bodies, said Tian Feng, deputy director of the regional ecology and environment department.