By 2005, the five lakes -- known as Luchao Lake, Jinshan Lake, Pudong Lake, Jiabao Lake and Mingzhu Lake -- will be added to the city map, covering an area totalling 10 to 15 square kilometers. The exact location of the lakes has yet to be announced, but officials said they will be set up on both sides of the Huangpu River.

"We expect the new lakes will add more vitality to Shanghai," Wu Shufu of the water authority said.

According to the authority, the city wants to increase the percentage of water surface area in the city from the current 2 percent to 8.4 percent in 2005 and 10 percent in 2020.

"To reach the goal, we have to create 40 square kilometers of water surface in 2005, and another 60 square kilometers by 2020," said Wu.

In addition to creating new lakes, the city also wants to widen urban rivers by two to four meters and dig many small scenic lakes within the public parks in Xuhui, Changning, Putuo, and Hongkou districts, he added.

It remains unclear how much money the government is going to pour into the lake project, but one thing is clear, it will be costly.

Two years ago, the city dug its first man-made lake downtown at a cost of nearly 850 million yuan (US$102 million).

(eastday.com January 15, 2003)