The Chinese and German governments have signed a memorandum on a project to protect the urban environment of Qamdo in east Tibet.
The project is to be financed by the German Reconstruction Credit Bank, which is donating 12 million marks, and the Ministry of Finance of China, which is giving 29 million yuan (US$3.5 million).
The money is to be used to improve the processing of garbage and sewage in Qamdo and the surrounding areas, according to Michael Wenzel, a German representative.
The Qamdo area serves as source region for many international rivers in Asia, where the ecosystem is pretty vulnerable to pollution.
The cooperation will push the autonomous government of Tibet to enhance efforts to protect Qamdo’s environment and set a fine example for the rest of Tibet, according to Yang Song, vice chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region government.
The project is to be implemented early next year, sources said.
(People’s Daily 04/13/2001)