China will spend 11.5 billion yuan on setting up sewage and
garbage disposal facilities in Chongqing, aiming to prevent the
Three Gorges Reservoir area and the upper reaches of the Yangtze
River from being polluted.
The southwestern municipality of Chongqing will build 47 sewage
treatment plants and 34 garbage disposal plants in urban areas by
2010, officials with the Chongqing government said.
An additional 101 sewage treatment plants will be built in rural
areas.
Chongqing's plan has been approved by the National Development
and Reform Commission, according to the officials.
The urban and rural plants will treat 3.25 million cubic meters
of sewage daily collected by 841 kilometers of pipelines, the
officials said.
In order to combat pollution at the Three Gorges Reservoir, the
Chinese central government will subsidize Chongqing 0.4-0.7 yuan
for the treatment of every ton of sewage between 2006 and 2010.
At present, 18 sewage treatment plants are operating along the
Yangtze River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, treating more
than 600,000 tons of sewage daily.
(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2007)