Xinhua, Beijing :
The World Bank said Thursday it has approved three loans worth 600 million U.S. dollars to China to improve water resource management.
The loans, approved Wednesday, will be used to improve water supply and wastewater services and adopt integrated pollution and watershed management in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Liaoning, according to a statement from the bank.
These projects will support local efforts to “adopt innovations and international good practices to improve water management and services, increase resilience to climate change, and ensure water security,” said Bekele Debele, World Bank program leader for sustainable development for China.
A 150-mln-dollar loan will be granted to a water resource and environmental protection project for the Qiandao Lake and Xin’an River basin in Zhejiang.
Another 200-mln-dollar loan will go to an integrated rural and urban water supply and wastewater management project in Jiangxi, which will benefit about 2.26 million people in seven counties.
Liaoning Province will receive a 250-million-dollar loan for a safe and sustainable urban water supply project to benefit 5.69 million people in five cities.
“Water scarcity is one of the most pressing challenges to China’s sustainable development. While water pollution imposes serious economic, ecological, and health-related costs, urban-rural gaps also remain in the coverage of basic water services,” Debele said.
The World Bank and China have developed a strong partnership in the water sector to address policy and institutional issues, test new approaches, and share experiences and examples from China with other countries, the statement said.
