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Xu Xiaoxuan, head of the Environment and Ecological Department
of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bid Committee (BOBICO) said the Olympic
Games coming to Beijing plays a dual role to show the world a spectacular
event can be presented here as well as improve the living standards
of the city's residents.
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She said that the outcome of Beijing's bid would not affect the
city's plan for protecting the environment.
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She said the city set up specific plan to improve its environment
in 1998, a year earlier than when Beijing started to bid for the
2008 Olympic Games in June 1999.
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So far, Beijing has invested more than 30 billion yuan (3.6 billion
U.S. dollars) to improve its air and water quality and reduce industrial
pollution. Xu said Beijing's bid would greatly add to the efforts
already underway to protect the city's environment.
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He said that BOBICO, Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau along
with 20 other environmental protection organizations have signed
on to the Action Plan for Green Olympics to accelerate the progress
that is already being made in Beijing in terms of protecting the
environment.
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According to the plan, Beijing will build a group of sewage treatment
plants to improve the city's capacity to dispose of sewage, from
580,000 tons in 1998 to 2.5 to 2.8 million tons per year by 2008.
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Natural gas usage will be increase from 300 million cubic meters
in 1998 to 4.7 billion cubic meters in 2008.
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In addition, trees and grass will be planted in Inner Mongolia and
northern Beijing to protect the capital city from dust storms from
North China.
(Beijing-2008 11/17/2000)
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