Bonds-supported Sewage Plants for Three Gorges Project Start Construction

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Bonds-supported Sewage Plants for Three Gorges Project Start Construction

Sewage treatment plants to be completed around Three Gorges by 2003

Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Monday started the building of 19 sewage treatment plants in its 13 prefectures and counties around the Three Gorges Reservoir project area.

The plants to be completed before June 2003 will be able to treat 510,000 tons of waste water daily, according to government officials.

The Three Gorges Reservoir will also be able to generate electricity by 2003.

The building of the plants costs 2.3 billion yuan (277 million U.S. dollars) which includes 1.5 billion (181 million U.S. dollars) from national bonds.

The Three Gorges reservoir area is a major polluting source of the Yangtze River. The year 2000 statistics show that 1.28 billion tons of waste water was discharged into the reservoir area by Chongqing, which administers 80 percent of the Three Gorges reservoir area, and 2.62 million tons of urban garbage was produced by the city.

With the Three Gorges projects, garbage processing rate to be enhanced greatly

The Three Gorges Project, the world's largest water conservancy endeavor, will use 632 square kilometers of land in the basin. About 1.07 million residents in these areas will have left their hometowns by the time the project is complete.

Along with the residents' relocation, the Chinese government has launched a large-scale water environment treatment project to improve water quality in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

In the five-year period starting from 2001, Chongqing, supported by national bonds, will spend 12.2 billion yuan (1.47 billion U.S. dollars) to build sewage and garbage treatment facilities around the Three Gorges Reservoir area, raising the sewage processing rate in urban areas from 7.8 percent to 90 percent in 2002, and while no garbage processing is done at present, in 2002 the garbage processing rate will reach 90 percent, sources said.

Three Gorges Area to Handle Pollutant Treatment

Chongqing Municipality in southwest China has made a three-year plan to construct ten sewage treatment plants and eleven garbage-handling plants in the Three Gorges Area.

By 2003, all counties in the area will have pollutant treatment facilities, said a local environment official.

The area discharged an annual 1.33 billion tons of sewage water and 520,000 tons of garbage. At present, only 66 percent of industrial wastewater and 6.8 percent of urban sewage were treated before being discharged into the Yangtze River, China's longest.

Upon completion in 2003, the water quality of the Three Gorges reservoir should reach the second-level standard regulated by the state environment department. But now only 5.9 percent of water in the area reaches the standard.

Cloning Projects for Rare Plants in Three Gorges Area Kicked off

Progress of Three Gorges Projects Meets Set Requirements

Projects for Prevention & Treatment of Pollution in Three Gorges Formally Launched