Official: Bad water requires big money

A total investment of more than 1 trillion yuan ($147.5 billion) is needed to treat black and odorous water bodies in China, and companies from all over the world are welcome to contribute, a senior environmental official said.

Zhang Bo, director general of water quality management at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, made the comment during a news conference on Thursday as his ministry concluded a nationwide inspection campaign on the treatment of such waters.

Generally, the length of water supply pipelines should equal that of sewage lines. In China, however, the length of sewage pipes is about 400,000 kilometers shorter than those for water supplies, Zhang said.