World Bank to help China clean up industrial brownfields

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$150 million loan to China today to help clean up industrial brownfields in Zhuzhou Municipality in Hunan Province.

Brownfield refers to land previously used for industrial or commercial purposes and that may have been contaminated with various pollutants. Brownfields in China date back to the 1950s when many highly polluting industries were built during the industrialization drive. More recently, with industrial restructuring, urban upgrading and environmental concerns, many of these old enterprises have been shut down or relocated out of the city centers or are expected to be relocated, leaving behind vast areas of contaminated land.

“These brownfields not only pose environmental and public health risks, but also form obstacles to urban and local economic development. There is an urgent need for brownfield remediation and redevelopment in China,” said Frank van Woerden, World Bank Lead Environmental Engineer and Team Leader for the project. “The new project will bring international best practices to support the remediation efforts and tailor those to redevelopment needs in a highly cost-efficient manner. The experience gained from this project can later be replicated in other parts of China,” he added.

Zhuzhou Municipality is located at the mid-low reach of the Xiangjiang River in the eastern part of Hunan Province. It was one of China’s eight heavy industry bases developed in the 1950s. For more than 60 years its Qingshuitang Industrial Zone has been exposed to the emissions of major national industries, particularly from nonferrous metallurgical and chemical activities. It is listed as a priority remediation area in the Chinese government’s Implementation Plan for Heavy Metal Contamination in Xiangjiang River Basin.

The Zhuzhou Brownfield Remediation Project will focus on a core area of the Qingshuitang Industrial Zone. Project activities will include cleanup and remediation of contaminated plots and dispersed open soil plots in residential areas, investments in associated remediation and disposal facilities such as dewatering site, wastewater treatment plant and industrial solid waste landfill, and strengthening of local government’s capacity in project implementation, public engagement and strategic planning.

The project will draw on the conclusions and recommendations of two World Bank studies on brownfield management and redevelopment - Overview of the Current Situation on Brownfield Remediation and Redevelopment in China, and China: International Experience in Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Brownfield Site Management.

The project will be implemented between 2016 and 2021. Direct project beneficiaries will include 6,237 residents in the project area as well as 262,000 local residents of Shifeng District where the Qingshuitang Industrial Zone is located. Additionally, 300,000 people living in and around Zhuzhou Municipality will benefit from improved food safety, as currently the produce grown in proximity of contaminated land is likely entering the food chain.