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Beijing Investing Heavily in Greenery Construction
Jiuxianqiao Sewage Treatment Plant, the second largest at a cost of RMB$570m yuan and to the benefit of a population of 480,000 for treatment of sewage discharge over an area of 96 square kilometers, has lately been put into operation in Beijing. Though no greenery can be built overnight for an improved environment to be had yet people can see a daily change of this in Beijing. The aforesaid plant is one among some dozens of environmental protection projects having been or going to be built in Beijing.
To create a green city, Beijing has planned to inject over hundred billion yuan into projects for environment protection and greenery construction 1998-2007. It is estimated that money to be used to this end will make up over 4% of Beijing's GDP during the ten years planned.
Following the municipal government's five-year plan since 1998 on, a sum of 46.6bn yuan will have to be injected into projects for a clean air, water treatment, solid waste disposal and industrial structure adjustments. According to Deputy Director Yu Xiaoxuan with Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, the figure will be raised to 56bn yuan 2003-2007.
Clean energy has been made available in people's life in Beijing. Eighty-two measures have been worked out and used to many a varied purposes as for a change of fuel structure and curbs on motor emissions. By now, Beijing has come to have a natural gas supply capacity of 700m cubic meters and as many as 10,000 tea stoves, 2,000 kitchen ranges and 5,000 coal boilers using clean fuel. In 1999, to control motor emissions a new set of standards was introduced in Beijing: 50,000 more overused motor vehicles were demolished and over 76,000 new "environment friendly" ones put to use. With these, there are also 210,000 taxis and buses using clean fuel.
Rivers winding through Beijing give added beauty to the city. In recent years Beijing has cleared altogether 1,784,000 cu m silt and built 45.3km of water pipes and these have very much improved the water quality of the city.
According to statistics, in 1999,Beijing made an investment of over 10bn yuan or 4.5% of GDP of the year in environment protection. A fact to be noted is that the city's environment was much improved. As a result of persistent effort made, Beijing was found as last year to have a quality air lasting over 75% days above three level, a 40% sewage treatment capacity, 55.8% clean disposal capacity for wastes, 35.3% greenery in urban areas and 42% in rural areas.
Environment work in the coming years will be focused on improving air quality, cut dust from the air and stricter standards on motor emissions, said Yu. By 2007, Beijing's forest coverage will be raised to 50%, 90% sewage will have to be treated, all wastes well disposed and there should be no big industrial polluters to be found in urban areas of the city.
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