Since the enforcement of the reform and open policy, the PRC has experienced rapid economic and social development in its rural areas. However, the economic conditions and the living environment in rural towns and villages lag behind those in urban areas. Thus, the government identified rural vitalization as key to ensuring future economic development and environmental improvement in rural areas. The strategy requires efforts to solve outstanding environmental problems and actions to improve the rural environment. In particular, support to rural development necessitates suitable approaches to (i) improving access to rural sanitation, stormwater management, and wastewater management; (ii) improving rural infrastructure and capacity development; (iii) controlling pollution; (iv) improving rural financial services; and (v) modernizing agriculture.

 

The Government of the PRC formulated the rural vitalization strategy for 2018–2022 to promote poverty reduction, rural development, and green and inclusive growth. The strategy focuses on agriculture modernization, rural wastewater and waste management, rural–urban integration, ecosystem services protection, rural health and education services development, and rural governance reform. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government have agreed to adopt a framework approach to strategically design ADB’s lending and nonlending program to provide support for the PRC’s rural vitalization initiatives. Therefore, taking the management of sanitation and wastewater in rural areas as a priority, the ADB initiates a knowledge and support technical assistance to provide policy advice and guidelines, capacity development, and knowledge exchange, which will strengthen rural ecological and environmental management and systems in China.

 

 

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand today announced that the department is investing $281 million in 106 projects to improve water and wastewater infrastructure (PDF, 252 KB) in rural communities in 36 states and Puerto Rico. USDA is funding the projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program.

 

“These investments will bring modern, reliable water and wastewater infrastructure to rural communities. They will replace deteriorating, leaking water pipes with new ones and upgrade water handling systems that are decades old. These investments create jobs and improve public health and safety for our rural neighbors,” Brand said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA is committed to partnering with rural communities to help them improve their infrastructure, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

 

USDA is funding projects in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

 

Eligible applicants include rural cities, towns and water districts. The funds can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems in rural communities that meet population limits.

 

Below are examples of water and wastewater projects in rural communities that will receive funding:

 


The city of Mabton, Wash., will use a $677,000 loan and a $296,195 grant to drill a new well. The city owns and operates a domestic water system that serves 632 active, metered connections. Ground water is currently pumped from two wells, delivered to an 800,000-gallon reservoir, treated by chlorination for disinfection and distributed to customers. The new well will augment water capacity, resulting in improved reliability.
The city of Auburn, Ky., will use a $6.1 million loan and a $2.6 million grant to replace the wastewater treatment plant to accommodate increased discharge from a new industrial facility. The expanded treatment plant will continue to provide safe and reliable wastewater treatment services for customers in rural Logan County while expanding capacity for economic development.
In Terlton, Okla., Pawnee County Rural Water District #2 will use a $1.7 million loan and a $597,000 grant to rehabilitate wells and bring the water treatment plant up to Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality standards. These improvements will enable the district to reduce the amount of water it is required to purchase. This will help lower operating expenses and increase the efficiency and sustainability of the system. The district provides water to 2,174 rural residents.


 

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

 

 

On February 9, 2021, the Construction Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade officially issued three standards: Standards for Small-scale Domestic Sewage Treatment Equipment, Evaluation Rules for Small-scale Domestic Sewage Treatment Equipment, and Technical Regulations for Operation and Maintenance of Village Domestic Sewage Treatment Facilities Group standards, which will be implemented from March 1, 2021.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (1 June 2021) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $200 million loan to improve water resources management and sustainability of agricultural production systems in Xichuan county in Henan province, the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

 

“Most of the county’s rural population lacks basic water and sanitation as well as agricultural services, which are related to poor public health, degraded environmental quality, and compromised delivery of ecosystem services,” said ADB Senior Water Resources Specialist Rabindra Osti. “The project will promote environmental improvements and green development in ecologically sensitive rural areas.”  

 

Xichuan was one of 53 remaining national poverty counties in the PRC in 2020. The county’s capacity for environmental planning and management is weak, which is critical as it is a source of water for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The county faces various restrictions on development activities mainly because of concerns over degradation of quality and quantity of water in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, which provides water to 14 large- and medium-sized cities in the northern PRC, including Beijing and Tianjin, benefiting more than 53 million people. Xichuan county is also part of the Han River watershed in the Yangtze River basin, which has been designated a national key ecological function zone by the government.

 

The project is the first to be approved for the country after a new country partnership strategy (CPS) for the PRC was generally endorsed in March. It is aligned with the CPS with a strong focus on institutional strengthening as it aims to develop the capacity of Xichuan county government on environmental management and knowledge services. It will pilot integrated soil and water conservation measures at watershed scale, complemented by community-based environmental management.

 

To improve soil and water conservation practices, the project will install smart drip irrigation for fruit orchards with automated soil moisture detection and digital irrigation demand management provisions using mobile phone applications and construct a pilot peripheral rainfall harvest system and sediment traps. There will also be automatization of a fertilizer mixture in drip irrigation systems to reduce fertilizer use and associated run-off. Regular monitoring and evaluation of project performances with utilization of remote sensing technologies and real-time observation stations are incorporated in the project design.

 

Centralized and distributed wastewater treatment facilities will also be constructed while sewage collection networks will be installed to improve rural water services. A rural solid waste management system will also be established, including construction of a food waste and municipal sludge integrated treatment center that will treat biodegradable wastes and produce biogas to run the center and compost for use as fertilizer.

 

The project will contribute to holistic development in the region by prioritizing investments in natural capital conservation and restoration and by shifting traditional investments toward valuing of nature and reduction of inequalities in rural areas.

 

Total project cost is $466.76 million, of which $266.76 million will be financed by the government. The project is expected to be completed in 2026.

 

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

 

 

 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (26 August 2021) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in support of rural vitalization in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

China plans to ensure that 40 percent of domestic sewage in rural areas is being treated by 2025, to help address problems cause by accumulations of black and malodorous water, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

BEIJING, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (20 November 2019) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President Mr. Ahmed M. Saeed and Alibaba Group Partner and President of the Public Affairs Department Ms. Wen Jia today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in support of rural vitalization in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Historic Funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Will Help Address Lack of Basic Wastewater Infrastructure in Rural America

Worried residents hold signs in nearby Hendry County in 2018 next to an algae bloom they blamed on a leaky septic system in this file photo from 2018.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (23 September 2022) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan to help improve sustainability, affordability, and safety in water and wastewater management services in Jiaxiang County, the People’s Republic of China.