More than 600 Chinese and foreign experts gathered Tuesday in Beijing to explore strategies for urban wastewater treatment and reuse, and seek better ways to improve China's water environment.

They will share their technologies and experience in the planning of water resources and urban wastewater treatment and reuse at the 21st Century International Conference and Exhibition on Developing Strategy for Urban Waste Water Treatment and Reuse.

Water Shortage Becomes a Global Issue

The event, which opened in Beijing's International Conference Center Tuesday, is jointly sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Construction, the World Bank, and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Chief Planner Chen Xiaoli of the Ministry of Construction addressed the opening ceremony and said the water shortage in many countries and regions now threatens human life. Water problems have become a global issue that is vital for human beings to have sustainable development. This explains why all countries and regions choose to save water, control water pollution and dispose of wastewater for reuse, Chen said. She added that with rapid industrialization and urbanization in China, the amount of water used in cities has increased rapidly, which has resulted in more waste and polluted water. Currently, China is formulating policies and regulations on urban wastewater treatment and reuse, and establishing financing, pricing and management mechanisms for urban wastewater disposal and recycling, said Chen.

World Bank to Assist China in Wastewater Reuse

Yukon Huang, country director of the World Bank for China, said the World Bank has established a very strong partnership with the Chinese government in water resource conservation, and supported China with an extensive portfolio of projects, analytical and advisory services, and technical assistance.

Currently the World Bank is financing 15 projects with significant urban wastewater components, and this portfolio covers about half of China's provinces, and involves an investment of more than US$2 billion. Huang said China's demand for wastewater treatment and reuse services is high, and the World Bank will continue to strengthen communication and cooperation with the Chinese government. The total investment of the World Bank in urban wastewater treatment facilities in China is expected to top US$10 billion in five to 10 years, he added. Sergio Miranda-da-Cruz, representative of the UNIDO to China, said the UNIDO is aware that China's water policies are an important part of the country's tenth five-year plan for 2001-2005.

He said the UNIDO hopes that more foreign experts would join in China's efforts for the treatment and reuse of wastewater. More than 100 Chinese and foreign wastewater treatment businesses are attending the exhibition, displaying their latest products, technology and facilities for sewage disposal.

China's Urban Freshwater Supply and Wastewater Treatment

The development of adequate municipal freshwater supply and wastewater treatment systems will be costly, because China is far behind in the development of this infrastructure. Some 75% of all urban areas do not have adequate systems for the supply and distribution of potable water. Effective infrastructure for municipal wastewater treatment is rare in China. In many cases, wastewater is simply discharged into rivers and lakes, which has contributed to a rapid deterioration of water quality in recent years. The lack of effective measures to stop or slow urban water pollution has exacerbated China's problems with freshwater supply. The longer China waits to develop a functioning waste disposal and wastewater treatment infrastructure, the more complicated - and costly - it will become to provide its rapidly growing urban population with clean drinking water.

Only since the early 1980s have the major cities begun to implement modern water supply and sanitation facilities. It was estimated that between 1981 and 1993 the annual investment in urban public water facilities increased from just 365 million to 5,948 billion yuan (United Nations ESCAP, 1997, p. 23). However, the measures so far have been insufficient. Smaller cities and towns in rural areas, in particular, still have only very basic wastewater treatment facilities. The capacity of public water supplies in the rapidly growing urban-industrial agglomerations (e.g., Guangdong) needs to be increased dramatically.

( November 28, 2001)