The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan for the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Hubei Province to address environmental and public health concerns associated with widespread water pollution and flooding in the region.
“ This assistance will support major upgrades in wastewater and flood protection infrastructure, as well as comprehensive water and environmental management actions to address long-standing problems ,” said Fei Yu, a Senior Economist in ADB’s East Asia Department.
The Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture has drawn up a comprehensive master plan, including more than 30 projects to improve water quality and reduce flood damage.
Among others, the loan will be used to reduce the impact of flood damage, over 100 kilometers of protective river embankments will be built, de-silting operations will be carried out in parts of the Qing River, and ecological “buffer zones” including wetland areas, will be created.
Close to 71,000 households will benefit from the flood protection measures. Along with ADB’s loan, the PRC Government will provide counterpart assistance of over $131 million. The project will run for nearly 5 years with an expected completion date of July 2020.