Shanghai, a leading industrial and commercial city of China, will pour a total of 80 billion to 90 billion yuan (US$10.8 billion) into environmental protection during the 10th Five Year Plan (2001-2005) period.

Shanghai is aiming to create a sound environment for the World Expo to be held in the city in 2010 and to boost a new round of development, Tuesday's Wen Hui Bao, a Shanghai-based daily newspaper, quoted local environmental protection department sources as saying.

According to the sources, the money will be mainly used to improve the environment around and water quality of the Suzhou River, afforestation in urban areas, promoting the use of clean energy instead of coal, construction of sewage treatment plants and garbage-incineration facilities, and pollution control in industrial zones.

Shanghai spent a total of 31.5 billion yuan (US$3.8 billion) on environmental protection in 2001 and 2002, with the investment in this regard topping 16.2 billion yuan (US$1.96 billion) last year, 6.2 percent more than that for 2001 or three percent of the city's total GDP for last year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2003)