SHANGHAI, China, June 13, 2005 -- Black & Veatch 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 Black & Veatch Client Services Manager Yanhua Wang. "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 square kilometers 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, the political, economic and cultural center of Heilongjiang Province. The floods caused loss of life and damage equivalent to US$5.8 billion, significantly raising 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 cubic meters; 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 (PMOs) 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 project will be executed by the Songliao Water Resources Commission located in Changchun, Jilin Province.
Black & Veatch Corp. (www.bv.com) is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, information and government markets. Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch develops tailored infrastructure solutions that meet clients' needs and provide sustainable benefits. Solutions include conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management, information technology, environmental, security design and consulting, and management consulting services. B&V Water, Black & Veatch's water business, provides innovative, technology-based solutions to utilities, governments and industries worldwide. Local project managers work with a global team of water and wastewater treatment process experts to address site-specific challenges through a broad range of consulting, study, planning, design, design-build and construction management services. The employee-owned company has more than 90 offices worldwide. Black & Veatch is ranked on the Forbes "500 Largest Private Companies in the United States" listing for 2004.
Songliao Water Resources Commission (SWRC) is responsible to the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources for integrated river basin management in the Songhua and Liao river basins in Northeast China; and the area that encompasses Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces and parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The SWRC is headquartered in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province, and is responsible for coordinating water resources protection, the provision and use of water resources, as well as flood and drought control and management. SWRC is one of several similar organizations in China, each charged with managing strategic water bodies that traverse several local administrative jurisdictions.
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