In an effort to become an environment-friendly city by the time the 2010 World Expo gets underway, Shanghai has announced plans to invest 80 billion yuan (US$11.6 billion) in environmental protection projects in the next three years.

As part of the new plan - the fourth round of the city's Three-Year Environment Protection Action Plan since 2000 - more than 200 such projects will be carried out, the Shanghai environment protection committee said on Friday.

"While maintaining the economic growth, it is also very important to protect the environment, especially in a city as populated as ours," Zhang Quan, director of Shanghai environment protection bureau, said.

"The new round of the environment protection plan emphasizes on the promotion of circular economy and low carbon economy, with noise pollution control being the first priority," he said.

The city will eliminate 900 noise-sensitive sites along freeways, urban arteries and railway lines, while increasing 1,500 hectares of public green land to take the total greenery coverage rate up to 38.2 percent.

The new plan will promote the establishment of eco-industry parks, eco-agriculture industries, and form a network of comprehensive utilization of wastes.

Meanwhile, local authorities would continue to improve the environmental infrastructure, establish an intensive citywide water supply network, and complete work on the sewage collection network.

By 2010, the total volume of passenger transport in public vehicles will go down to 65 percent, further reducing carbon emission, Zhang said.

"The total volume of SO2 and COD emission will be controlled at levels of 380,000 tons and 259,000 tons respectively, and the green treatment rate of house refuse will go up to 85 percent in the next two years," he said.

Shanghai has invested 220 billion yuan on environment protection since 2000, accounting for more than 3 percent of the city's annual GDP, Wang Yuqing, vice-chairman of population, resources & environment committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said.

Last year, COD and SO2 emission fell by 3.16 percent and 2.96 percent respectively than what it was in 2005.

According to a Gallup public survey on local environment improvement, 85 percent of the city's residents said the situation had improved since five years, and 68 percent were satisfied with the general environment.

(China Daily December 15, 2008)