Minhang improving people's lives

Minhang District has achieved notable results in environmental-friendly construction and development as well as facilities for the elderly and preschool children, Ni Yaoming, head of the district, said on Tuesday.

Over 95 percent of Minhang's waterways have been cleaned since the launch of campaigns to improve 181 rivers in the district, Ni said.

The district had also demolished over 23 million square meters of illegal construction by December, giving more space for greenery.

However, Ni said there were still around 720,000 square meters of substandard housing in the district.

"We have started relocation and demolition work in the Zhuanqiao area and more than 97 percent of the residents there have agreed to move out," Ni said.

The area is a typical residential warren where bathrooms are shared and drainage systems so poor that it often flooded, Ni added.

Similar problems remained in Qibao, Ni said.

There are some 60,000 toddlers under 3 in Minhang, Ni said, and preschool resources are in short supply. The district has 81 kindergartens and 147 nursery classes, but more are needed.

"We encourage enterprises in the district to open nursery classes for employees' children," said Ni. "The district will also aid them with the classes."

For the elderly, Ni said the district has helped 20 senior care facilities open their cafeterias to the public so that more old people in the district can enjoy meals.