Beijing will invest 3.2 billion yuan (US$390 million) to update its sewage treatment facilities before 2008.  

The investment will be used to construct three sewage burying fields, seven sewage treatment factories, three sewage burning fields and two garbage transferring stations, said Liang Guangsheng, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Committee.

The Municipality will be capable of handling 12,500 tons of non-industrial sewage every day by 2008, when a total of 12,000 tons of non-industrial sewage is expected to be created every day.

Beijing also plans to reduce the amount of non-industrial sewage produced every day and better recycle garbage. At present, 88 percent of local non-industrial sewage was buried after going through detoxification treatment.

It is expected that 98 percent of the sewage in the city proper will be treated by 2008, up 7 percent compared to the present. Half of the sewage in Beijing's suburbs will undergo the same treatment.

According to Liang, 30 percent of sewage will be recycled by 2008, up 20 percent compared to the current level.

Beijing also plans to build two special factories to deal with medical garbage and four treatment stations for cooking and restaurant waste within two years. By 2005, the city will be capable of treating 65 tons of medical garbage and 1,200 tons of cooking waste, according to Liang.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2003)