According to the newest statistic data provided by Gansu Water Conservancy Department(GWCD), the polluted and serious polluted river length has accounted for 19% of the major rivers within Gansu.

Gansu province lies across four river basins of endorheic river, Yellow river and Yangtse river, which pertain to 11 river systems. The length of major rivers within Gansu is 7,133 kilometers, of which annul run off of 78 rivers greater than 100 million meters.

The water quality of major rivers in Gansu has no problem generally, but pollution to water becomes more and more serious in the trunk stream of Yellow river in Lanzhou, Wei river, Jing river, Wanchuan river, from mainstream of Shiyang river to Hongyashan reservoir in the lower reach, and middle and small creeks in Bainyin, Dingxi, Tianshui, Qingyang, Pingliang etc. introduced by principle from GWCD.

Pollution sources are primarily drainage of municipal waste water and industry wastewater, and the secondary are agrochemical and residue of pesticide etc. Thereinto mainstream of Yellow river is primarily polluted by harmful substance of petroleum and heavy metal and so on.

In addition, according to the statistics of GWCD, the gross sewage discharge in Gansu reached 1.1 billion tons in 2006, which is about 50% of the gross water consumption of industry and town life. Of which qualified water discharge is just 400 million tons, about 36 percent of gross sewage discharge.

At present, the GWCD and Gansu Environmental Protection Bureau is fasted to build working mechanism to prevent pollution effectively.