For city dwellers in China, activities in parks play a prominent role in filling their leisure time, especially the elderly. Those parks with ponds, lakes and creeks are more appealing for their cooling effect and congenial views. Yet the views are being spoiled by growing concerns over the smell of stagnant ponds and polluted water.

A Chinese research team supplied the worry with a solution. It has created a new method to break down pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. The new material is composed of graphene tubes and titanium dioxide, with the former strenuously grabbing harmful substances and the latter making efficient use of solar power to catalyze the degradation of the pollutants.

After two weeks of sunshine, water quality improves strikingly, said Huang Fuqiang, head of the research team. Some cities like Shanghai and Anhui have applied the technique to local parks successfully.

Over the past month, nearly 3,000 nets containing the purifying agents have been laid in pilot ponds, affecting 40,000 square kilometers of water.

Citizens lavishly praised the results. Water quality levels rose beyond expectations. Dissolved oxygen in the water registered a record high.

Officials also heeded the amazing tech. Along the Yangtze River, Anhui Province took it to river's upper-and-middle reaches for combating pollution. As a result, the overall indicators of water quality rose 60 percent.

When properly modified, the new technique can make a huge difference in purifying industrial effluent and chemical waste, a promising approach to save water and boost industrial output.