A new method to desalinate brackish water at a lower cost has been developed and a facility using it is planned for the Pearl River estuary in Guangdong Province, according to Xinhua News Agency yesterday.

An official from Hangzhou Water Treatment Technology Research and Development Center, under the auspices of the State Oceanic Administration, said the plant will have a daily processing capacity of 100,000 tons.

The center has signed a contract with a Guangdong paper mill to build the plant jointly as a commercial project.

Using the new technology, the center's Zhu Shufei said water from the facility would cost roughly the same as standard supplies and much less than that of desalinated seawater.

The process uses reverse-osmosis-based filtration throughout, said Zhu.

Currently, people in coastal regions often have brackish water supplies.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2005)