The Chinese government will accelerate the use of desalinated
seawater during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010), the
State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC) has told Xinhua.
The SDRC said projects that used fresh water as main water
source would be restricted in coastal areas.
Enterprises would be encouraged to use seawater, and desalinated
water would be channeled to urban water supply pipelines.
China was expected to desalinate 800,000 to 1 million cubic
meters of seawater per day and use 55 billion cubic meters annually
by 2010.
The plan forecast that desalinated water would account for 16 to
24 percent of water in coastal areas that lack water supplies.
The SDRC said the government would boost efforts to grasp key
technologies, extend water price reform and encourage social
capital to invest in the seawater desalination.
China desalinated 120,000 cubic meters of seawater per day last
year.
(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2006
