GUANGZHOU - Southern China's Guangdong province will
pour 44.59 billion yuan (US$5.37 billion) into its
fight against water pollution in the Pearl River, the country's
fourth-longest, by 2010.
A comprehensive plan for
improvement of the river's water environment, compiled
by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Environmental
Protection, has been approved by the provincial
government.
According to the plan, the
efforts will be carried out in two phases, with the Pearl
River Delta being the prime target of the efforts. A total
of 192 projects will be completed under the plan,
including 161 sewage-treatment projects. A total of 175 industrial
polluters will be ordered to treat wastewater before
discharging it according to set requirements.
By
2010, 60-70 percent of sewage from urban areas will be
treated, while 90 percent of the industrial wastewater
will be discharged. More trees will also be grown along
both banks of the river.
Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong,
will spend 4.7 billion yuan this year and next in
constructing sewage-treatment plants and treating water discharges in
the Pearl River, which is the mother river of Guangdong
province.
By 2010, the quality of the water in the Pearl
River near Guangzhou is expected to be greatly improved.
