Black & Veatch announced that it has commenced work on a consultancy services contract for a major flood control project in the Songhua River Basin in China. The implementation of the Songhua River Flood Management Sector Project will reduce flood damage through improved integrated river basin management and improved flood protection.
“This project is the first major Black & Veatch signing for flood management work in China,” said Yanhua Wang, client services manager at Black & Veatch. “The contract award resulted from our strong reputation for such work and our proven experience in working with Chinese clients on other Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed projects in other sectors. We believe this signing will open up other opportunities for flood management work in China.”
Black & Veatch is responsible for providing consultancy advice and services in procuring equipment for a proposed flood management system; construction management; economic benefit analysis; environmental impact assessment; social impact assessment; and assisting with the strengthening of existing flood management regulations. The project is scheduled for completion in 2007.
The Songhua River Basin is the third largest river basin in China comprising an area of 557,000 km2 and a population of 62 million people. Heavy flooding hit the region in 1998, which severely affected urban and rural areas including the city of Harbin, and the political, economic and cultural center of Heilongjiang Province. The floods caused deaths and damage equivalent to US$5.8 billion, which significantly raised the poverty level in the area.
The project will include: the heightening and reinforcing of 540 km of flood control dikes in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; risk eliminating and dike reinforcing of five reservoirs that have a combined storage capacity of 305 million m3; and construction of one dual-directional gate. Capacity building and project management tasks include strengthening the social and environmental functions of the Project Management Offices in three provinces to assist them with conducting initial environmental impact assessments, environmental management, and resettlement planning for follow-on investments financed under an ADB loan.
The project is being funded by a loan from the ADB along with contributions from various levels of the government of China. The Songliao Water Resources Commission located in Changchun, Jilin Province will execute the project.
Source: Black & Veatch
