World Bank loans $150 mln for small town development

The World Bank and east China's Jiangxi Province have jointly launched a small-town development project, aiming to develop cities and towns in the Poyang Lake region and the lake basin, local authorities said Wednesday.

The provincial Development and Reform Commission said the World Bank has loaned 150 million U.S. dollars to the province in support of the Jiangxi Poyang Lake Basin and Ecological Economic Zone Small Town Development Demonstration Project, which aims to improve key public services in Jiangxi's participating small towns through improvements to prioritized infrastructure.

The project, launched on June 15, includes rural and inter-urban roads and highways, agricultural extension and research, general water, sanitation and flood protection, irrigation and drainage, and public health administration.

The project covers the Poyang Lake region and 11 cities and counties around the lake basin.