The World Bank approved a loan of US$100 million on Tuesday to assist the environmental recovery of the Liaohe River Basin in China's northeast province of Liaoning.
The project will improve the environment in the area by providing facilities for collection and treatment of wastewater, establishing municipal utilities capable of managing these facilities, upgrading basin-wide water quality management and monitoring capabilities, and providing technical assistance and training, the World Bank said.
Under the water quality objective, the project will reduce pollution in the area to bring quality up to at least a minimum of "Class V" (agricultural water supply or general amenity use) water quality throughout the basin by 2010.
This will be achieved by regulating and reducing pollution from industries, establishing wastewater treatment works in all cities in the river basin, improving collection and disposal of sludge from wastewater treatment plants, protecting water used for agriculture and aquaculture, and improving water quality in the Bohai Sea.
Other initiatives may include reducing overall per capita water demand, adopting water conservation measures and public outreach programs, the bank said.
(Xinhua News Agency 06/20/2001)
