Project Scope and Relationship to China's Agenda 21

This project aims at increasing the income for peasant households in the East Liaohe River basin by creating more industrial jobs and reducing the rampant soil erosion in this semi-arid area, strengthening the control of industrial water pollution to result in better drinking water quality, although factories require a supply of water for their production.

The project is in line with programme area of Managing Sustainable Development of China's Agenda 21 and will contribute towards Eliminating Poverty, Improving Human Settlements, Controlling Industrial Water Pollution, Generating Cleaner Industrial Production, Managing Natural Resources and Land, and Reducing Soil Erosion, as indicated in programme areas 8A, 10C, 11E, 11G, 14A, 14C, 16A, and 16B.

1. Background

Poverty, soil erosion and water pollution all occur in the upstream East Liaohe River Basin. This basin is situated in North China where arid and semi-arid conditions prevail. The locality under study is located in Liaoyuan and Siping municipalities of Jilin province and sustains a population of 780,000 people. The average erosion depth of surface soil is 2.37 millimeters. There are 2,360 gullies which need to be controlled. Water pollution is so serious that nearly all water creatures are extinct in city river. The scarcity of safe drinking water is serious.

An environmental and economic plan was designed by the State Planning Commission, Jilin Provincial Planning Commission, and the Liaoyuan Municipal Government in 1993. The State Planning Commission invested ten thousand US dollars in studies for the plan. On a yearly basis US$ 20 million are invested in agriculture, water conservation and environmental protection by the governments of Jilin Province and Liaoyuan Municipality.

A shoe factory with a yearly production capacity of 20,000 pairs of shoes, and a mineral water factory with a daily production capacity of one thousand boxes of mineral water have been constructed. Small scale projects for fruit trees, upgrading the land, soil and stone cube production and the protection of trees have been implemented. A soil erosion and water pollution monitoring system has been established with the help of the Beijing University. A survey indicated that 1,500 hectares of waterlogged land can be improved and utilized.

The plans for optimizing economic and environmental interests have to be perfected. An information system to support planning and management has to be established. Financial investment, sustainable technologies and human capacities require reinforcement.

2. Objectives

• Long-term Objectives
  • To improve the life of the poor peasant households in the East Liaohe river basin. Their income will increase as a result of cultivation and cattle breeding practices, reduced soil erosion and establishing new factories. Control of industrial water pollution will bring about a safer drinking water supply.

• Immediate Objectives
  • To revise the plan for regional development.
  • To introduce a geographical information system.
  • To establish experimental agricultural fields.
  • To cultivate the production of fruit with apple orchards and grape vineyards.
  • To raise livestock and integrate breeding, processing and marketing.
  • To improve waterlogged land and reclaim waste land.
  • To cultivate and plant trees, especially windbreak forests.
  • To establish a number of factories.
  • To build a treatment plant to process polluted water.

The implementing agencies will be the State Planning Commission, the State Science and Technology Commission, and relevant local governments, etc.

• 3.1 The plan for regional development has been revised and hopefully will be approved by the Chinese government including the introduction of a geographic information system. The duration for this activity will be one year.

• 3.2 A geographic information system for the same region will be developed. This duration of this activity will be two years.

• 3.3 A high-efficiency, three-dimensional agricultural base will be established on twenty fields of three to five hectares each. The duration of this project will be one year.

• 3.4 A fruit base will be developed with an orchard of twenty-five thousand apple trees and twenty-five thousand grape vines and a fruit processing unit will be established. The duration of this activity will be three years.

• 3.5 A herd of 100,000 head of cattle will be acquired accompanied by the necessary breeding, processing and marketing facilities. The duration of this activity will be 3 years.

• 3.6 A tree nursery will be established on two plots of 1,786 and 620 hectares. Trees will be planted in windbreak forests on three thousand hectares around water reservoirs. Five kilometres of embankment, ten kilometres of shelter forest, 5,500 seats of soil and stone cube will be used in improving 1,500 hectares of waterlogged land, for biological engineering of seven hundred hectares and for the recultivation of three hundred hectares of waste land. The duration of this activity will be three years.

• 3.7 For successful people's participation in agricultural and forestry projects, criteria will be designed to identify relevant categories of people and their environmental and economic understanding, interests and behaviour. Techniques to support people in optimizing their individual and collective, short term and long term interests will be developed.

• 3.8 A number of factories will be built:
  • A timber producing factory will be set up in 1996.
  • A mineral water factory will be completed in 1996.
  • A porcelain clay separating factory will be completed during the year 1996.
  • A Cattle breeding establishment, a beef canning factory, a leather clothing factory, a shoe factory, plus technical training of workers will be completed by 1997.
  • The Liaoyuan sewage treatment factory will be completed by 1997.
  • Building of the Laohuzui reservoir.

  The responsible agency is the Water Conservation Bureau of Liaoyuan Municipality. This project is to be completed during the year of 1998. For the successful dissemination of environmentally sound technology, related categories of people and their environmental and economic understanding, interests and behaviours will be assessed. Techniques to support them in optimizing their individual and collective, short- and long-term interests will be developed.

5. Benefits

With the implementation of this project, it is reasonable to envisage substantial economic and ecological benefits. The average peasant household's yearly income will be raised from US$ 89 to US $138. The total agricultural output will increase from US$ 50 million to 80 million. The total industrial output grows from US $ 69 million to 126 million. The soil erosion area decreases from 43 to 25 percent of the entire acreage. The drinking water quality will meet the standards.