China will spend 11.5 billion yuan on setting up sewage and garbage disposal facilities in Chongqing, aiming to prevent the Three Gorges Reservoir area and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River from being polluted.

 

The southwestern municipality of Chongqing will build 47 sewage treatment plants and 34 garbage disposal plants in urban areas by 2010, officials with the Chongqing government said.

 

An additional 101 sewage treatment plants will be built in rural areas.

 

Chongqing's plan has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, according to the officials.

 

The urban and rural plants will treat 3.25 million cubic meters of sewage daily collected by 841 kilometers of pipelines, the officials said.

 

In order to combat pollution at the Three Gorges Reservoir, the Chinese central government will subsidize Chongqing 0.4-0.7 yuan for the treatment of every ton of sewage between 2006 and 2010.

 

At present, 18 sewage treatment plants are operating along the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, treating more than 600,000 tons of sewage daily.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2007)