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)