China will begin constructing 16 water reclamation plants this year to provide the thirsty capital with a stable "second water source", officials said today.
In addition to the 16 projects, the city will complete another 14 under-construction reclamation plants, said Jin Shudong, director with the Beijing Water Authority.
The capital will make efforts to upgrade the quality of reclaimed water with low-noise and non-polluting processing technologies, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Jin as saying.
Beijing currently has 16 reclamation plants. It is estimated that the consumption of reclaimed water in the city will reach 860 million cubic metres in 2014.
Use of reclaimed water supports the sustainable development of the city - with an estimated population of 20 millions - by effectively reducing fresh water consumption.
In 2013, Beijing used a total of 3.6 billion cubic metres of water, including 800 million cubic metres of reclaimed water.
The city plans to introduce more capital from the social sector into the operation of its reclamation and sewage treatment plants, currently run as municipal works with government financial investment.
