BECOMING more economical with water is one of the Qingdao government’s top priorities. The city has a detailed plan on how to use water resources and has been given guidance on industrial water usage, helping build water-saving companies through industrial upgrading and economic transformation. Over recent years, more than 200 companies which have caused serious water pollution have been closed down by the government, while some 20 companies have been transformed into environment friendly companies with upgraded industrial structure. For example, Tsingtao Beer developed a new brewing technique, which can save 63.93 million tons of water a year. According to statistics, the city has finished more than 3,000 water-saving technology improvement projects and can save more than 100 million cubic meters of water a year. The city is also working on water pipe construction and upgrading to prevent water leakage. Meanwhile, water resource development is also heavily emphasized. Technological achievements in seawater desalination, sewage treatment, water recycling and rainwater recycling have been promoted in the city. Qingdao is also one of the earliest cities to study in water recycling and has built two major water recycling projects in the city so far. More than 70 companies in the city have set up water recycling systems to save water. The city plans to invest 790 million yuan between 2011 and 2015 to build recycling water pipe networks. (Wang Yuanyuan, Yu Feng) | 