Key Construction Projects

2004-03-01 18:00

Infrastructure Projects In an effort to speed economic construction in Tibet, the state has decided to pursue the following particularly significant infrastructure projects within the terms of the Eighth Five Year Plan (1991-1995) and the Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000).1) Development of the middle reaches of the Yarlungzangbo, Lhasa and Nyangqu rivers, 2) expansion of Lhasa's Gonggar Airport and Qamdo's Banda Airport, 3) repair and renovation of the Sichuan-Tibet, Qinghai-Tibet, Sino-Nepalese, Nagqu-Qamdo, Zetang-Gonggar highways, 4) construction of the Yamzhoyum Co power station, 5) construction of the Chalong power station in Nagqu, and 6) Luobusha chromite mine Total investment in these and other key large- and medium-scale projects covered in the plans is more than three billion yuan.

Several of these projects, including the Banda Airport expansion and the Luobusha chromite mine, have already been completed. When the remainder have also been completed the Tibetan infrastructure will be greatly improved Scheduled investment for the 90,000-kw- generating-capacity Yamzhoyum Co power station near Lhasa approaches 600 million yuan. The 45,000 kw-capacity first-stage project will he completed in 1995. When fully operable the station will generate 123 million kwh annually alleviating current power shortages

The "Three Rivers" Comprehensive Agricltural Development Project This composite project zeros in on the areas around the middle reaches of the Yarlungzangbo and its two tributaries, the Lhasa and Nyangqu rivers It is the largest project both in terms of scale and investment. Affected will be 65,700 square kilometres, 18 counties under the jurisdiction of Lhasa Municipal ity and Shannan and Xigaze prefectures, home to 36 percent of the Tibetan population.

In ten years beginning in 1991 one billion yuan will be invested towards building the area into a production base for commodity grain, animal by-products, light industry and food processing The area will also serve as an outpost for the demonstration and popularization of technologies new to the area Water conservancy projects, improvement of low- and medium-yield fields and pastureland and afforestation will be used to create a solid agricultural foundation and a fine ecological environment by the end of the century, realizing the targets of 150 million kilogrammes of grain and 24 million kilogrammes of meat in increased production capacity.

This project will bridge the two centuries It will involve 800,000 people and 40 construction projects, 18 involving water conservancy, 7 agriculture, 10 animal husbandry and 5 forestry. The projects' completion will benefit 100,000 hectares of cultivated land (about 45.6 percent of Tibet's current total), and 4.5 million hectares of grassland.

In addition, 28,700 hectares will be planted with trees and total generating capacity raised to 250,000 kw. First results are already apparent four years into the project Output of grain in the development area has risen 11.9 percent, meat 20 percent and farmers/herdsmen's income 16.2 percent over the period. "Sixty-two Projects" In the first half of 1994, seeking to build on the firm foundation provided by the completion of the Eighth Five-Year Plan and the so id arrangements laid out in the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government decided to invest an additional 2.38 billion yuan in 62 more engineering projects These projects are urgently needed for Tibet's economic development.

Their great importance lies in improving the region's backward infrastructure, raising the people's living standard and laying a solid foundation for development in the coming century. By the end of 1994 initial preparations for 55 projects had been completed and work begun on 32 projects. Thirteen of the 62 projects involve agriculture and water conservancy (24.8 percent of the total investment), 15 energy (27.3 percent of investment), 7 transportation and telecommunications (9.2 percent of investment), 6 industry (7 3 percent of investment), and 21 social services and municipal construction (31.4 of investment) The state is providing 75.7 percent of the total investment with the remainder coming from 29 non-Tibetan provincial-level governments and sir. cities with economic planning directly supervised by the State Council, each contributing aid to particular projects according to their ability to do so.

The 62 projects are distributed in 74 Tibetan administrative units. Most will be completed by the end of 1995, with some m be finished the following year and one, the Xigaze Manla key water conservancy project, to he completed by 1998. Completion of these projects will raise hydropower generating capacity by 30,000 kw, 166 mil ion kwh annually.

An additional telephone exchange capacity of 30,000 circuits will help to increase long distance capacity several times. Capacity to process 35 million kilogrammes of f our and three million kilogrammes of edible oil will t e added Daily urban water supply will be increased by 16,000 tons, 400 hospital beds added and middle school enrollment increased by 4,900. Television and radio station broadcast range will be increased to a certain extent and almost every administrative township will have a broadcast reception station.