US$200 million loan in Shanghai's pipeline ( 2003-09-15 09:22) (China Daily)
Shanghai is expected to start the third phase of its sewage treatment
project soon with support from the World Bank's adaptable programme loan (APL)
scheme.
The bank will provide US$200 million for the third stage, which will be used
for Shanghai's urban environmental protection in terms of solid waste treatment
and air improvement. This is the first of three loans from the World Bank over
the next eight years.
The sewage treatment project, corresponding with the city's new
three-year-long environmental plan, will use 70 per cent of the initial loan.
The project aims to solve drainage problems in the north of the city and
improve the efficiency of existing facilities in the downtown area to collect
sewage.
A new sewage treatment plant will be built at a cost of over 500 million yuan
(US$60.5 million) at Zhuyuan in the city's Baoshan District. It will be
completed by 2006 and have a daily treatment capacity of 500,000 tons.
"More than 4 million residents living in a 300 square kilometre area will
benefit from the project," said You Qizhong, a manager of Shanghai Municipal
Sewage Co Ltd, one of the groups receiving part of the APL.
Statistics show the city's sewage treatment rate was 40.3 per cent in 1999
and 60.4 per cent in 2002 with over 4,000 kilometres of underground collection
pipes.
In the next five years, the treatment rate is expected to reach 75 per cent,
according to the Shanghai Water Authority.
"The APL will support the city's efforts to become an international economic
and trade centre with the highest standards of urban environmental quality,"
said Geoffrey Read, task manager for the project.
"It will both enhance the quality of life of its citizens and help Shanghai
to continue to attract high-quality foreign investment."
