City officials in Urumqi are more carefully weighing the water demands of new industrial plants. For example, a proposal for a new coal-to-chemicals manufacturing base near Urumqi has encountered stiff opposition from city authorities, worried about the millions of cubic meters of water that the plant would need to operate.

China Urumqi city air quality rating smog pollution desert northwest coal industry plant coal-to-chemicals manufacturing water energy Circle of Blue Wilson Center China Environment Forum J. Carl Ganter

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