China, People's Republic of: Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Water-based natural resources management

Water and other urban infrastructure and services / Urban solid waste management - Urban water supply

Pingxiang is a poverty-stricken and mineral-rich industrial city located in western Jiangxi province, approximately 120 kilometers (km) east of Changsha, capital city of Hunan province, and 250 km west of Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province. Pingxiang benefits from its proximity to Changsha and the Chang-Zhu-Tan cluster city being developed as a secondary node in the PRC's national urban system plan, and from being well connected to the national highway and high-speed rail systems. Pingxiang municipality covers a total area of 3,827 square kilometers with hills, mountains, and plains. The municipality's total population is 1,870,000 of which 597,000 reside in the Anyuan districts urban area, the core city of the municipality. Pingxiang's economic pillars are coal and iron mining, steel, aluminum, industrial ceramics, chemical industry, and fireworks. Despite high gross domestic product growth rates, and accelerated urban and rural development in recent years, Pingxiang's development is lagging behind. The urbanization ratio is at 31.59%, significantly lower than the national average and rural poverty is significant at 18.58%. Lianhua county is a national poverty county, and within the municipality, there are 123 national/provincial (37/76) designated poverty villages. Pingxiang is considered water-scarce, with lack of access to safe drinking water for more than 420,000 residents. Most domestic wastewater is untreated, and water from mining and industry, and non-point source pollutants contribute to poor surface water quality. Increased frequency and severity of flooding in recent years, and illegal waste disposal pose serious risks to Pingxiang. The lack of basic environmental services is becoming a burden for sustainable development.

The project is aligned with the Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) PRC country partnership strategy, 2011-2015, which supports the PRC's 12th Five-Year Plan, targeting environmentally sustainable, balanced urban-rural development. The project supports ADB's Urban Operational Plan with its objectives of inclusive, green, and competitive urban development; and ADB's Water Operational Plan contributing to integrated water resources management. The project will build on lessons from previous ADB loan and technical assistance projects in the PRC and Jiangxi that support urban-rural integration, river rehabilitation, water supply, and sanitation. Lessons include (i) coordinate management of urban-rural resources, services, and planning to facilitate integration; (ii) apply rigorous review criteria to select viable, properly scaled projects; (iii) integrate reduced flood risk, environmental, and public amenity functions in river works; and (iv) set investment priority to promote urban-rural integration effectively. In the mostly rural Pingxiang, investment priorities are suggested to be development of (i) the core city, (ii) county cities, and (iii) townships and villages.