TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A wastewater treatment plant Kaohsiung is building on the disputed South China Sea island of Dongsha will be completed next month, reports said Friday (May 14).

The island, also known as Pratas, is claimed by several countries, including China, but is controlled by Taiwan as part of the Kaohsiung City district of Qijin. It is 444 kilometers from Kaohsiung.

About 200 people are based on the island, but there is a shortage of facilities. As a result, the Kaohsiung City Government launched the project to recycle wastewater in 2019, transporting building materials to the remote island by sea, CNA reported.

Just 29 of the 30 structures on Dongsha Island currently provide low-level water treatment, causing pollution and damaging coral reefs, the city government said. The Dongsha area was made Taiwan’s first ocean nature park in 2007.

Officials emphasized the new plant would not only benefit the environment but also provide residents with more water for irrigation or to clean vehicles.