Waterway Restoration in Shanghai [1]

Suzhou Creek flows through Shanghai, one of the world’s largest megacities. Starting in the early 1900s, the creek had fallen victim to rapid urbanization and industrialization, carrying most of the city’s waste water. In 1996, the ‘Economic and Social Development Plan for Shanghai’ was adopted which kicked off the 12-year-long Suzhou Creek Rehabilitation Project. Since then, water quality has been substantially improved through the implementation of a combination of measures such as flushing, environmental dredging, re-aeration and interception of wastewater, elimination of wastewater disposal, wastewater treatment, the relocation of solid waste processing wharves and embankment reconstruction. The Shanghai Municipal Government has set a good example for cooperation in the fields of water resources and coastal management as well as effective decision making in order to allow for the implementation of such major projects in a relatively short time frame.