GUANGZHOU - The population in this Guangdong provincial capital has surpassed 15 million - a statistic that is putting huge pressure on the city, Mayor Wan Qingliang said on Wednesday.

Guangzhou has more than 10 million residents who either have household registration in the city or have stayed in the city for more than half a year. Another 5 million migrant workers and other members of the transient population also live in the city.

Wan told the Forum of China's Urban Planning and Scientific Development that the large population has put huge pressure on the city's employment, education, healthcare and social security.

"Meanwhile, Guangzhou also faces great pressure on infrastructure construction, environmental protection, reconstructing old city centers, making overall plans for urban and rural development and tackling heavy traffic jams because of the city's rapid population growth," Wan said.

He said effective measures and policies should be introduced to control the city's rapid population growth in coming years.

"Otherwise, Guangzhou's population will certainly reach more than 18 million in 2020," he said.

Wang Guochun, a Guangzhou white-collar worker, said the population in Guangzhou has increased quickly because of the city's rapid economic growth in previous years.

"Now almost every place, including parks, hospitals, shopping centers, restaurants, schools, metro stations and buses in the city are overcrowded," Wang said.

Wan said Guangzhou will try to attract more high-quality talent from home and abroad to settle in Guangzhou in order to increase the population in the city's new high-tech, finance and service industries in coming years.

The move aims to upgrade Guangzhou's industrial structure and reduce labor-intensive industries.

China Daily