Beijing: A $250 million loan by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to
rehabilitate the fifth largest freshwater lake in the People’s Republic of
China (PRC) will also test an eco-compensation program and a water emissions
trading system aimed at controlling ubiquitous sources of rural water
pollution.
“Chao Lake bore the
brunt of rapid local economic growth and urban development over the past 20
years. This project will help finance vital components of the government’s
12-year master plan to bring it back to life,” said Qingfeng Zhang, Lead Water
Resources Specialist at ADB.
Chao Lake is an
important source for industrial and agricultural water supply, water transport,
tourism, and recreation in Anhui province. The national government identified
it in 1996 as one of the three priority lakes in the PRC for environmental
rehabilitation due to its poor water quality.
While industrial
pollution has come under more regulation in recent years, pollution has yet to
be controlled from urban areas and non-point sources, particularly from
livestock operations, runoff of fertilizer and pesticide use, and rural
settlements.
To help control
sources of rural and agricultural water pollution, the project will develop an
eco-compensation program to provide incentives for farmers to replace chemical
fertilizers with organic fertilizers, and it will also test water emissions
trading among farmers and companies for the control of water pollution in Chao
lake.
The loan will also
finance eight new wastewater treatment plants and a wastewater collection
network to intercept sewage that currently flows untreated into the tributaries
of Chao Lake. The loan will finance a solid waste collection and management
system. The construction of artificial wetlands and habitats will further
reduce excessive amounts of nutrients in Chao Lake.
The loan will promote
integrated management of the lake by building the capacity of the
newly-established Chao Lake Management Authority (CLMA), one of the first
agencies in the PRC with authority to manage and enforce all aspects of lake
quality and uses.