ADB supports China's water ecosystems rehabilitation

BEIJING - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Friday signed a loan and technical assistance facility to Beijing-based China Water Environment Group to help restore water ecosystems and improve wastewater management in China's central and western provinces.

The facility included a dual currency U.S. dollar-yuan loan equivalent to 150 million dollars from the ADB's ordinary capital resources and a complementary loan of 100 million dollars raised from participating banks, as well as a technical assistance of 260,000 dollars funded from the ADB-administered Water Financing Partnership Facility.

"Developing water infrastructure and wastewater management systems is a key element of the government's plan to better manage water resources," said Hisaka Kimura, East Asia Unit Head of ADB's Private Sector Operations Department.

Integrating greater operational efficiency, additional capital, and technical expertise in water resources will help China become cleaner and more resistant to water-related disasters, the Manila-based ADB said in a statement.

The project will construct wastewater treatment plants and related works for the improvement of river and lake water quality in central and western regions of China, with treatment capacity reaching 2.3 million tonnes of wastewater and 2,900 tonnes of sludge per day by 2024.

ADB's engagement will also help mobilize commercial co-financing for the project, it added.