| With the
sustained fast-growing of China's economy, the continuous
increase on population and the ever expansion of urbanization,
the worsening water shortage, especially in the northern part
of China, has become the bottle-neck for China's social and
economical development. Per capita water resources are no
more than 2,400 cubic meters in this country, equivalent to
only one- fourth of the world's average. It is planned that
US $12 billion will be invested in the project of diverting
water from the south to the north.
In the
meantime, the serious water pollution is endangering the
people's living environment. Surveys indicate that close
to 38% sections of China's seven major rivers are polluted,
seriously or less. The country wasted 41.5 billion tons
of water in 2000, 47 per cent of which was caused by industrial
production.
China's
current situation with regards to the treatment of urban
sewage is far behind the times. Currently, about 20 percent
of urban sewage can be treated, compared with the 85 percent
in some developed countries. To date, the country's urban
wastewater treatment plants number nearly 400, which means
that about 30 per cent of sewage can be treated. By the
year 2010, when the country's urbanization rate is projected
to have reached 40 per cent, China plans to raise the amount
of waste water it can treat to at least 50 per cent in urban
areas and 70 per cent in its key cities. To achieve the
goal, a total of US $483 billion will be invested in the
establishment of new sewage treatment plants, equipment
purchase and technological update by the year 2005.
Most of
the water works and sewage treatment plants constructed
between 1989 and 1997 in China used foreign funds and imported
equipment. This will continue. China particularly welcomes
the participation of foreign businesses in the development
of dephosphorization and denitrification technology and
of technologies for the treatment of water with a high concentration
of organic waste.
In addition
to closing down backward and polluting firms, the country
intends to highlight the research into and development of
advanced technology - especially in the bioengineering sphere
- to treat water pollution caused by dye, farm chemicals
and pharmaceutical industries.
With China's
official entry into WTO, more business opportunities will
be available for you on investment, sales or cooperation
in the industry.
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