World Bank : China: Keeping the Water and Environment Clean in the Qiangtang River Basin

Cleaning up an old town

Youbu is an old town with a long history. It was a bustling trading port several hundred years ago when goods were shipped along the Qiantang River.

The Youbu Creek flows through the old town. Five stone bridges over the Youbu Creek date back to the Qing Dynasty. The local people live on both sides of the creek, and their homes are built in a Chinese traditional style with white walls and grey-tile roofs.

The creek became polluted in recent years. Because the town did not have wastewater treatment facilities, untreated residential wastewater was discharged directly into it. The water turned black and emitted a foul odor. The banks were littered with household garbage and other debris.

With support from the project, Youbu Town's first wastewater treatment plant went into operation in 2013. It can treat up to 5,000 tons of wastewater a day.

Luo Jingen is an old resident of Youbu. His family has lived here for generations. 'Youbu Creek used to be clean. I grew up drinking its water. In recent years it was polluted by factories upstream. Now it is clean again and there's no more stench,' said Luo.

Work was also carried out to clean up the creek bed and the environment, reinforce the old bridges, and beautify the creek banks. The uneven, garbage-ridden streets were paved with slab stones. Electric wires, water pipes and rainwater drainage were buried underground.

Chen Ling, a 23 year-old college graduate, is a newcomer. With her father's support, Chen bought an old soy sauce brewery in Youbu a couple of years ago. She is trying to rejuvenate the century-old brand with her modern business management knowledge.

Chen is happy with all the improvements. 'The street outside the front of our shop used to be very bad. And it was hard for customers to find us. Now there's stone pavement, and the street is clean and clear. More customers come to visit us,' she said.

Xia Wuchun, owner of a teahouse on the old street, feels the same. Her old teahouse is a favorite place for the people who have kept up the custom of drinking morning tea. 'The street is cleaner, and the environment along the creek is nicer. More people come, and business is getting better,' said Xia.

The old town of Youbu is poised to attract more tourists and regain its vitality.

Modernizing solid waste management

Jiande, located at the upstream of the Qiantang River, is a relatively new city. It boasts the Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station, China's first large-scale hydropower plant built in the late 1950s. Many of the first residents in Jiande City were relocated farmers and families of the workers who constructed the hydropower plant.

Xi'anjiang River is a major source of drinking water for Hangzhou, the provincial capital city. Protecting the water source from contamination from liquid and solid waste is a top priority.

Jiande City had one sanitary landfill serving its core urban area. However, the solid waste generated in towns and townships further away from the core city could only be burned or disposed in open dumps.

A modern sanitary landfill, with a tertiary leachate treatment plant, went into operation in Meicheng Town in 2013, under the Qiantang River Basin Small Towns Environment Project.

'The Meicheng Landfill occupies a total area of 19.33 hectares. It provides nearly 200,000 people in seven towns of Jiande City with solid waste disposal,' said Zhu Liping, Deputy Manager. 'The treatment technologies are nationally advanced, including a five-layer anti-seepage system in the landfill. Leachate is directed to a storage tank and then treated in the treatment plant until it meets the requited national standards for discharge,' she said.

At the same time, three existing open dumps were closed, covered with soil and replanted with trees and grass. This was welcomed by people living in nearby neighborhoods, including 80-year-old Wu Zhanglin. 'I live behind the open dump. Before it was closed, there were many flies and mosquitos. The stench was very strong at night. Now it is ok,' Wu said.

Closure of the open dumps also sets an example of solid waste management for small towns.

Informing policymaking

To date, two water treatment plants, three wastewater treatment plants, and one sanitary landfill have been completed. The expansion of one wastewater treatment plant is ongoing. The Qiantang River Basin Small Towns Environment Project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.

In addition to infrastructure, the project helped establish a sustainable environmental service delivery model in the towns involved, and informed government's policymaking. For example, the project provided evidence for wastewater pricing and demonstrated how to implement wastewater service charges, according to Shi Weizhong, head of the provincial project management office.

'The project has effectively improved the environment and quality of life for the people, and given strong support to Zhejiang's economic and social development,' said Zhao Ke, a deputy director of Zhejiang's housing and urban-rural construction department. 'On the basis of this project, we will continue our efforts to ensure cleaner water, a better environment, and a higher quality of life for all,' he said.