Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN Water Resources Group has further improved its business services by shortening and simplifying water related procedures, such as those for water use and water pipeline relocation applications.

The whole approval process for water use applications has been cut to at most seven working days from the previous 13 working days.

The group suspended the past due fines for industrial users in April to reduce their costs. It also canceled deposits for temporary water use and water supply projects.

“To further improve our service, we will introduce facial-recognition technology and cut paperwork for customers by at least one-third in 2019. A majority of water-related business service items will be able to be conducted through WeChat and the iShenzhen app before the end of the year,” Yang Xiaowen, vice president of Shenzhen Water Resources Group, said yesterday.

As many procedures have gone online, users don’t need to fill in paper applications or go to the offices to complete the procedures in person. Since May, the water group has been giving water meters of 50 millimeters in diameter to users for free. Users can report their water use online each month.

The levels of the city’s water and energy consumption, and carbon emissions, are the lowest per 10,000 yuan (US$1,443) in GDP, Yu Jing, deputy director with Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission, said Sunday at the 2019 National Energy Saving Promotion Week that was concluded yesterday.

The amount of water consumption per 10,000 yuan in GDP in Shenzhen has dropped to 8.41 cubic meters from 19.95 cubic meters in 2010.

The GDP energy intensity also dropped by 4.2 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year and has accumulatively dropped by 12.1 percent since 2016.