ADB provides $250m loan to treat industrial wastewater in China

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted a loan of $250m to help China treat harmful industrial wastewater and sludge from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The loan will be used by an engineering company CT Environmental Group, which provides wastewater and sludge treatment for SMEs in the country’s industrial sectors.

CT Environmental Group will use the fund to own, build and operate several specialised industrial wastewater and sludge treatment facilities at specific locations, which would be decided by local governments.

ADB Private Sector Operations Department East Asia Unit head Hisaka Kimura said: "This assistance will help a new public-private partnership (PPP) model in handling wastewater and sludge from SMEs, with beneficial effects for both waterways and public health.

"The project is timely, corresponding to the PRC’s goal to dramatically reduce water pollution, including through PPPs, as emphasised by the recent state council-issued Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan."

The company will either discharge the treated wastewater, which meets national environmental standards, or supply it back to the industrial sectors for reuse.

By 2019, new industrial treatment plants across the PRC are expected to have the capacity to treat 450,000t of wastewater and 4,200t of sludge every day.

---

Image: ADB grants loan to help treat industrial wastewater and sludge in China. Photo: courtesy of ADB.