FOR Zhang Rongguang, a laid-off worker, and his family, one of the most important things they now have to think about every day is how to save water, now that their water rates have suddenly gone up.

　　Water collected in a big basin is used by the family to wash vegetable, then clothes and finally to flush the toilet. Basins will be placed around the bath to collect any splashed water when family members are having a bath.

　　The charge for sewage treatment fees to residential and industrial water users has increased by over 40 per cent from July 1 to finance the building and operation of new treatment facilities.

　　The previous fee charged to residential and industrial users was 0.7 yuan for every cubic metre.

　　"We have a big deficit gap to narrow because our operational costs are much higher than the revenue we collect from fees," Ma Derong, general manager of the Shanghai Sewage Company, said. The company is responsible for treating all the waste water of a city with over 16 million habitants.

　　The price hike coincides with two more large sewage plants coming online and further underground pipe-laying to drain waste water away from the city.

　　"The price hike is to cover the operational cost of the sewage facility operations, to enhance the city's sewage treatment rate and to build more plants," said Yu Bei, an official with the Shanghai Water Bureau.

　　Poor water treatment

　　Statistics from the bureau show that 37.2 per cent of its 5.6 million cubic metres of waste water pour directly into Shanghai's rivers without any treatment. Most of it ends up in the Yangtze from where the city gets its water in the first place.

　　The bureau said that a lack of waste water collecting systems in the downtown area and poor waste water treatment in the nearby countryside had led to the pollution.

　　And some of the waste water that was treated could also cause pollution. The bureau said that only 19.8 per cent of waste water was treated to the second level of the multi-tiered international standard, while in Europe the rate was over 90 per cent.

　　"That means that most of the waste water after treatment is still polluted. It still contained much suspended matter," said another official from the bureau.

　　Most of the sewage plants in Shanghai's downtown area were built in the 1950s and 1980s and the state of the technology and the ageing equipment were helpless when dealing with the amount of waste water today. Furthermore the untreated water is also causing pollution of the soil and underground water.

　　Opposite voice

　　Investment in sewage treatment now totals 16.7 billion yuan (US$2 billion) and the local government has added an additional 80 million yuan to help the new plants come into operation.

　　The current price hike will increase the income of water bureau by some 420 million yuan (US$50 million) but the rise has met with oppositions from water users.

　　"It is not reasonable to announce a price hike now when the price for many other daily necessities, such as rice and cooking oil increased last year," said Gu Baozhang, a representative of the city's labour union.

　　The rise has angered local residents who say that for a local family which uses 15 cubic metres of tap water each month, the new price will add about 4 yuan to their monthly water bill.

　　" Although the price hike is not a great burden for people on a low income, it will cause them to worry and feel fearful which is not conducive to a stable society," said an official from the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, who asked to remain anonymous.

　　"The reason for the high operational costs lies with the sewage company's inefficient management," he said.

　　Professor Wang Hu from the Shanghai Institute of National Economy under Shanghai Social Science Academy also doubted the motive behind the price increase. Wang once took part in an exercise to reform the operations of the Shanghai Sewage Company.

　　"The government should take more responsibility in investing in sewage treatment instead of asking residents to shoulder the burden," Professor Wang said.

　　"I cannot understand why the government would spend over 9 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) on the Maglev rather than on public works projects which could provide cleaner water at a lower price," said Zhang Qing, a middle school teacher.

　　The government is now encouraging foreign investment in water treatment. ITT Industries Inc, has been working with the Shanghai municipal government in the clean-up of Suzhou Greek.

　　City short of water

　　The whole of China is suffering from water shortages in cities and towns and the price of water is rising across the country.

　　In China, 90 per cent of the rivers and canals around urban areas was polluted and 360 million people in the countryside have to quench their thirst with unclean water.

　　Although boasting the abundant water supply offered by the Yangtze River, Shanghai is still a city suffering from a shortage of clean water.

　　"What Shanghai lacks is not water but water that can be used for drinking. The water is polluted on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and then polluted again in Shanghai," said Zhang Jiayi, director of the Shanghai Water Bureau.

　　The extent of the water shortage is revealed when scorching weather in Shanghai leaves a supply gap of 1.5 million tons of water.

　　It is hard to imagine that Shanghai residents have only 1,049 cubic metres of water per head - which is 40 per cent of China's average and 10 per cent of the world's average.

　　The wastage of water adds to the overall water shortage. With the number of automobiles rising, the car-washing industry is booming in Shanghai and has a strong thirst for water. According to an insider, washing a car will cost only 5-to-10 yuan but it will use 0.2 ton of water. The waste water then goes into the sewerage system.

　　Some 15 million cubic metres of water is being used to wash automobiles in Shanghai or 1 per cent of total demand. A recycling system can save 83 per cent of the water used in car-washes but the high cost deters most operators whose equipment usually is only a hose and a sponge. Only 10 per cent of car-washing operations have recycling systems.

　　"The higher price for water will help people do something about saving water. They will pay more if they use more and the price will be even higher if the amount they use exceeds the limit," said Professor Wang.

　　By Li Jian