World Bank provides three loans to China to improve water management

World Bank has granted three loans to China to improve water supply and wastewater services besides enabling an integrated pollution and watershed management in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Liaoning.

Water scarcity is becoming one of the most crucial challenges to the country’s sustainable development.

World Bank program leader for sustainable development Bekele Debele said: “While water pollution imposes serious economic, ecological, and health-related costs, urban-rural gaps also remain in the coverage of basic water services. In addition, climate change impacts create uncertainties on the availability of water.

“These projects will support the efforts of three Chinese provinces to adopt innovations and international good practices to improve water management and services, increase resilience to climate change, and ensure water security which is as one of the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Xin’an River and Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province are important water sources, supplying drinking water to several cities besides generating hydroelectricity and irrigating crops. The river and lake are, however, facing environmental pressure due to rapid urbanisation and intensive agriculture. Furthermore, large amount of pollutants is being released into the river and lake from their catchments.

The Zhejiang Qiandao Lake and Xin’an River Basin Water Resources and Ecological Environment Protection Project, which has received a World Bank loan of $150m, will help promote climate smart farming practices and environmentally sustainable forest management. This project is expected to benefit around 720,000 people.

The Jiangxi Province’s urban and rural areas face a gap in supply of water and wastewater services. Only 65% the rural population in this province has access to piped water supply, while only 3 to 5% of rural wastewater is collected and treated. This is much below the national average of 73% and 8%, respectively.

Jiangxi Integrated Rural and Urban Water Supply and Wastewater Management Project has secured a World Bank loan of $200m. This project aims to boost these services by upgrading and developing urban and rural water supply infrastructure.

The Liaoning province suffers from water scarcity, pollution, and inadequate water supply infrastructure. The quality of the Liao River and other water sources is rapidly declining due to pollution. Outdated distribution system also causes water loss, which poses a serious problem. Financed with a World Bank loan of $250m, the Liaoning Safe and Sustainable Urban Water Supply Project will improve water and service quality as well as the operational efficiency of water supply utilities. The project is expected to benefit about 5.69 million people in cities of Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Fuxin and Gaizhou.