Yang Guoquan, deputy head of the city planning bureau, gardens and forestry for Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, said Wednesday that plans included 13 sewage pump stations, 22 sewage facilities and laying of 209 km of pipelines for sewage diversion.

Completion of the projects will add to the city a daily sewage treatment capacity of 840,000 tons by the end of the year.

About 70 percent of domestic sewage in the old eight urban districts of the city will be able to be treated by 2004, said the official.

There are only three sewage treatment plants operating in downtown Guangzhou, with a combined daily disposal capacity of 580,000 tons.

(Xinhua News Agency June 11, 2003)