Distribution map of wastewater treatment plants in urban Beijing (by Sept. 2004. Photo offered by website of Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau)

    By 2008, Beijing will have more than 90% of urban sewage treated by 14 waste-water treatment plants around the city, five of which will be newly constructed. A complete sewage treatment system in the city will enable the waste-water management capacity to exceed 2.6 million tons.

    In 2004, the Lugou Qiao (Marco Polo Bridge) waterways system and the Qing He River waste-water treatment plant are under construction. It is estimated that the project will be completed by the end of the year, increasing treatment efficiency by 10% and upgrading daily capacity of urban wastewater treatment to 300 000 cubic meters, for a total of 1.88 million cubic meters for Beijing proper.

    By the end of 2003, seven sewage treatment plants had been built in Beijing's city proper, with the daily treatment capacity reaching 1.58 million tons, or 56 percent. The city's water environment had been noticeably improved.