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Water Financing Program 2006-2010
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Imagine a wetland the size of France, and that is the area of the basin of the three mother rivers that emerge from Russia to meet at the northeastern Chinese border in Heilongjiang province, and drain into the Sea of Okhotsk. This vast river basin once supported thriving agricultural communities. But 50 years of efforts to control floods have resulted in even worse flooding upstream, more frequent droughts downstream, reduced agricultural production, and declining biodiversity. Similar problems occur in river basins across Asia. To reverse such damage, governments and communities are introducing new ways of managing and sharing water resources. Often, this requires setting up a basic legal framework that determines who has the authority to manage the basin, which may comprise rivers, lakes, forests and wetlands, and encompass cities as well as vast agricultural tracts. For many basins, these issues are further complicated by ecosystems that cut across administrative and, in some cases, national, boundaries. Water users across many sectors need to agree and abide by a set of rules to jointly operate flood management, hydropower, irrigation, and water supply infrastructure—or risk dissipating the limited resources available. The health of the region’s river basins and the communities that depend on them will increasingly depend on people’s willingness to manage each basin in ways that integrate the multiple demands on the rivers' resources.
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Shanghai ’s Suzhou Creek, a tributary to the Huangpu River, which cuts across Shanghai before meeting the mighty Yangtze River, breathes almost normally these days, thanks to the efforts of the city government and people of Shanghai. The once murky and fetid river has been transformed into an ecological wonder.
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| Shanghai, which sits strategically within the Sushou Creek basin, has turned from its polluting ways to now be the river's best friend—promoting and protecting it from urban dumping. |
For too many decades, though, the 53 kilometers of the river served as a convenient sewer for the city as Shanghai grew to become one of the world’s largest mega-cities. The 1970s and 1980s saw Suzhou Creek in a sordid state as the water turned black and putrid. Makeshift houses and small industries lined the riverbanks, adding to the polluted waters. A green heart to the city was a distant dream.
Shanghai ’s government embarked on the huge task to clean up the Suzhou Creek through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed Suzhou Creek Rehabilitation Project. The major problem proved to be the task of managing the continuous stream of raw sewage dumped into the river and the adjoining canals. The project constructed control gates to control flows of waste from side canals and to increase water flow in the main channels. The city used special boats to pump oxygen into the river to improve water quality.The old wharves, industries, and houses along the river were dismantled and relocated. The project supported a comprehensive resettlement plan that ensured the relocation of 7,700 people affected by the rehabilitation project. It also created new employment opportunities for almost 4,000 skilled and unskilled workers.
Wastewater is now collected in a sewer network that transports it to be processed at a state-of-the-art water treatment plant. Once treated, the water is discharged back into the river, helping flush out more filth. The network and treatment process is “an essential, basic measure” to prevent sewage from entering the river, says Xu Zuo Zheng, General Manager of the Shanghai Suzhou Creek Rehabilitation Construction Company.
he city government is rightly proud of a new solid waste transfer station, which has replaced numerous unsightly barges that once collected and transported solid waste. Built in Jing’an District, in the heart of Shanghai, the garbage transfer station is of the best international design and is often mistaken as a typically stylish urban building, its true function unsuspected.
After the clean up was completed in September 2005, the city government invited residents to plant trees and flowering bushes in new parks created along the banks of Suzhou Creek. Getting the people’s support and involvement was an important element contributing to the success of the rehabilitation efforts, says Eri Honda, an Urban Development Specialist at ADB. The government invited older residents to write poetry about the beautiful Suzhou River they remembered from their youth.
The revival of Suzhou Creek continues, with hopes of bringing back aquatic life by 2010. Xu Zuo Zheng says, “With improved water quality and the renewal of the embankments, Suzhou Creek should become a place for sightseeing and tourism.” ADB’s Honda says she has already seen many people canoeing in the river.
For Shanghai residents, maintaining Suzhou Creek’s health means keeping their city healthy and alive. Vice Director Zhu Shiqing, of the Shanghai Water Authority, says, “Environmental protection is now the city’s priority. If the environment is not protected, economic development will be negatively affected.”
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