Abstract: As a critical ecologically sensitive area and a key node in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Honghu Lake has long served as a hub for water storage and irrigation in the Jianghan Plain. However, intense human activities have exacerbated water pollution and ecosystem degradation in the lake, making the improvement of Honghu Lake’s water quality a central objective of the ongoing Yangtze River conservation and restoration efforts. A comprehensive analysis reveals that the key challenges to enhancing the lake’s water quality lie in three main areas: inadequate inflow water quality, severe internal pollution, and degraded aquatic ecosystems. To tackle the water pollution of Honghu Lake, a systematic and basin-wide mindset must be adopted, encompassing effective measures such as controlling and intercepting external sources of pollution, sediment dredging, ecological restoration of the lake area and lakeshore, as well as scientifically allocating and utilizing water resources. In addition, comprehensive management strategies, including the establishment of an integrated water quality improvement framework, should be implemented. This framework would include a collaborative mechanism for joint prevention, control, and governance of Honghu Lake and its tributaries, as well as an ecological compensation mechanism.

Key words: improving water quality of Honghu Lake, water eco-environment, systematic governance, management measures, four lakes basin