Abstract: The Huaihe River is China’s first large river to carry out comprehensive and systematic governance. The drought and flood disasters, the water pollution incidents and governance and management measures in the Huaihe River Basin since the founding of New China were combed and analyzed, and the governance process of the Huaihe River was divided into three stages. In the first stage (1949-1978), there were frequent droughts and floods, drought resistance and flood control and other water conservancy projects were carried out mainly following the “storage and drainage” strategy. In the second stage (1979-2005), the economy developed rapidly, the water quality deteriorated seriously, and with the idea of improving flood control standards and strong control of pollution sources, joint management of drought and flood disasters and water pollution was carried out. In the third stage (from 2006 to present), the Huaihe River was listed in the special treatment program by the state, and under the guidance of the ideas of source control, discharge reduction, reduction and rehabilitation, comprehensive regulation, the systematic governance of water pollution was carried out. Compared with 1990s, the water quality of the Huaihe River had been improved significantly. The proportion of Grade V and inferior Grade V water of Surface Water Environmental Quality Standards (GB 3838-2002) had dropped to 12.2%, and the proportion of excellent and good water quality had increased significantly. However, the situation of water pollution was still serious, and there were many problems such as great pressure of water pollution and serious damage to water ecology. The Huaihe River still has a long way to go for governance. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, efforts should be made to continuously promote the water pollution control in Huaihe River Basin by strengthening the systematic treatment of pollution sources, promoting the restoration of the ecological integrity of the river basin, and improving the regulation and management capabilities of the river basin.