Elevated rail still in track-laying stage
CONSTRUCTION workers are laying normal track along the first phase of the city's first elevated rail, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.
Drugs in mail
MIND your mail, Shanghai Customs warned recently.
Carmival mood in Yangtze ballroom
FUNNY costumes and weird make-up, hugging, drinking and dancing. The specially decorated Crystal Ballroom of the Yangtze New World Hotel became a sea of some 400 revelling expatriates and local people on Saturday night.
Merger brings first exhibition JV
THE first local Sino-foreign exhibition joint venture was formed in Shanghai last week after the merger of two established exhibition services firms.
Water transport services safe for Spring Festival
SPRING Festival, which means a peak in the numbers travelling by sea, begins on Thursday and will last forty days.
Legal services market to heat up
WHILE China's imminent entry to the WTO spells a great opportunity for the development of China's legal profession, it must restructure to meet the challenges, according to a seminar sponsored recently by Shanghai-based AllBright Law Offices.
Blast-hit road reopens No deaths, no injuries from gas explosion
AFTER 23 hours' hard work, repairs to the broken gas pipes which exploded on Saturday morning at the intersection of Gonghexin and Luochuandong roads was completed on Sunday morning.
4 years for date-raping 17-year-old
AN employee of Shanghai's City of Books was recently sentenced to four years' imprisonment by Pudong New Area People's Court for raping a girl last year.
A ride on the wrong side of the law
IT had to happen. As a frequent user of the city's taxi cabs I have often been able to curl a scornful lip at the poor souls who are sitting in a cab which has been pulled over by a traffic policeman. There they sit in lonely splendour while the driver - depending on the demeanour of the officer of the law and the real or alleged seriousness of the offence - either engages in much armwaving and fingerpointing, or cowers, as he, or she, fishes for licence and permit.
Trash-picker who steals bag quickly arrested
A MIGRANT woman who allegedly stole a handbag while collecting trash was recently arrested by Putuo Police on a charge of theft.
Ambitious young man dies in Germany
I REALLY don't know how I have come through these past four months. Every day when the sun rises, I long for the darkness, so that I may be shrouded in sleep. But when the night does come, I long for the day, for I cannot sleep."
Survey:drinkable water at low ebb
By Chen Qide
LOCAL government officials are stepping up efforts to push forward a general survey of local water resources, that targets rivers, lakes and reservoirs. The survey that has lasted nine months has collected much data and experts are writing a report. "Through the survey, we will know exactly how much water the city needs," said Xu Qihua, director of the Shanghai Water Conservation Bureau. Workers have surveyed 11,679 kilometres of river to find out the pollution sources that affect water quality. "Pollutants are complicated and must be curbed," said Ruan Renliang, deputy director of the survey office. Shanghai, a coastal metropolis encircled by the Yangtze River and Huangpu River, is lacking enough drinking water to meet the growing need, experts said. "Water shortages are mainly caused by serious pollution," said Xu said. "Water is abundant, but drinking water sources are decreasing because of the aggravating pollution," he said. The result is that the city has had to relocate its drinking water source to the upper reaches of the Huangpu River close to the Songpu Bridge. The new source can provide 5 million tons of water daily. The city is expected to need 16 million tons of tap water daily by the year 2020. Its urban districts will occupy an 11 million ton stake of the total. "A headache for the city is that many tributaries of the Huangpu River are seriously contaminated," Yuan said. Pollutants include industrial and life sewage. The survey is also looking into ways to handle pollution in Suzhou Creek. The city government will work out an overall plan to harness rivers after the survey in the latter half of this year.
Copyright 2000 by Shanghai Star. All rights reserved.