Part of WB-Backed River Harnessing Scheme CompletedA special ceremony was held recently in this capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to mark the completion of the first phase of a World Bank-financed scheme to harness a local river.Huang Fenglian, a woman who has been living on Chaoyang Creek, the river, for more than half a century, was invited to cut the ribbon in celebration of the completion. Chaoyang Creek, with a length of 14 km, runs through downtown areas of the regional capital. But the stinking water and propagation of mosquitoes and flies from ever-growing trash heaps and non-stop inflow of sewage into the river had turned the river into an affliction for the 300,000 nearby residents. The scheme to harness the river and surrounding environment started in December 1997. The scheme requires construction of more than 20 projects involving flood control, sewage treatment and afforestation along the river banks, and will cost 800 million yuan (about 96.39 million U.S. dollars), of which, 48 million U.S. dollars will be covered by World Bank loans. Already completed are projects on the western section of the river. They include the dredging of three-km-long river course, relocation of 3,590 residents, erection of a 7,284 m sewage diversion pipeline, construction of three new scenic plazas and the planting of 32,000 sq m of trees and grass. The entire scheme will be finished in 2003. |
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