Work has begun on the first sewage treatment plant in Lhasa, capital city of southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region, the municipal construction bureau said on Sunday.

It is one of the city's major projects for 2006-2010.

The project will cost 122 million yuan (US$17.86 million), funded by the central government.

Initially, the project will be able to process 50,000 tonnes of sewage every day. Capacity will ultimately be doubled.

Currently, domestic sewage is directly discharged into the Lhasa River. This practice threatens the environment, and the problem has been worsening because of Lhasa's growing population and economic development.

(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2009)