Karamay has met the requirement of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region by becoming a water conservation city, the Karamay Daily reported on Oct 10.

According to Wu Xiankui, a researcher at the Karamay housing and urban rural construction bureau, the city has been focusing on enhancing water-use efficiency and promoting sustainable water development since 2012.

Karamay Oilfield Company, for example, adopted new technologies to reduce water consumption. Water recycled from the oilfields now accounts for 59.8 percent of the plant's annual water consumption.

The city also advocates water conservation by posting advertisements on the LED screens on bus stops, and in local media. It hopes to enhance people's awareness of the need to save water in this way.

The inspection team from the autonomous region recognized the achievements of Karamay and suggested that the city set up a long-term mechanism for water conservation and adopt a scaled water pricing system.

Karamay is the second water conservation city in the autonomous region, behind only Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang.

Edited by Peter Nordlinger