Urban Innovations: ADB's Contribution to Pollution Control in the Songhua River Basin

Abstract

The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) acknowledges that the SRB is one of the four most polluted river basins in the PRC. Water pollution issues in the SRB, especially those relating to drinking water in the municipality of Harbin, have received increased national and international attention because of a widely publicized pollution incident in the SRB in November and December of 2005. The Songhua River contains a number of known and suspected trace organic chemicals, metals, and conventional pollutants. Thus, the Government classifies the river as a class IV1 body of water and is thus unsuitable for domestic water purposes. Further, during the 6-month low-flow winter season, Songhua River’s classification falls even below class V.