November, 2001: Chongqing Municipality will begin construction of 19 large sewage treatment plants later this year as part of a plan to improve the environment of the Three Gorges area.

The total volume of industrial wastewater discharged into the Three Gorges area from Chongqing Municipality reached 400 million tons last year, while only 7.4 percent of the urban wastewater in the area was treated.
To protect the environment in the Three Gorge(s) area, the Chongqing Municipality will spend
9.82 billion RMB on 30 projects during the next five years.

Among the projects, construction will start on 19 plants at the end of this year in 13 cities and counties in the Chongqing Municipality with a total investment of 1.5 billion RMB.
By June 2003, the 19 plants will put into use to treat 510,000 tons of wastewater per day.