Shenzhen, a special economic zone in south China's Guangdong province, is planning to launch a series of water treatment projects with an investment of 5.6 billion yuan (US$675 million), including a US$300 million loan from the World Bank.
The plan includes seven water projects concerning flood control, comprehensive water treatment and water quality improvement in the Longgang, Pingshan, Buji and Guanlan rivers.
The city had long been plagued with poor water conservancy and treatment facilities, said Yang Geng, deputy director of the city's water affairs bureau.
The city had invested about four billion yuan (US$482 million) in the past five years to improve water supplies, which had not yet met the demands of its rapid economic development, said Yang.
He added that the city's government was exploring ways to diversify fund-raising channels in a bid to step up water treatment.
(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2003)
