The 'public toilet revolution' wanted by Xi Jinping

"An important aspect to improve infrastructure in urban areas and in the countryside." For three years a campaign has been underway to renovate public toilets for tourists. This year 20 billion yuan allocated for 47 thousand new services and the restoration of another 17 thousand. The problem of lack of sewers. 

Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Public toilets across the country, from cities to the countryside, must be improved, under the orders of Xi Jinping in a communique that appeared yesterday on Xinhua.  Xi stressed that "toilet issues are not petty matters but an important aspect of improving infrastructure in urban and rural areas".

Meeting the people's desire for a decent life is one of the main tasks of the government, the president said in the recent Communist Party Congress.

In 2015 China had already launched a campaign to improve the quality of public restrooms near tourist destinations. Up to 68,000 public toilets were restored as of last month, with a central government investment of more than 20 billion yuan (2.59 billion euros).

On World Toilet Day, on November 19, the National Tourism Administration decided to build another 47,000 public services and restore 17,000 more in the next two years.

The quality of public toilets in China, especially in the countryside, is very low. Given the large number of people and the lack of bathrooms in homes, public services are very often dirty and nauseating.

The restructuring and improvement of the toilet facilities should foster a greater flow of domestic and foreign tourists.

Experts point out that it is not enough to restore toilets it is also necessary to plan sewers and water treatment facilities. In many cities and in the countryside, the waste is not conveyed into the sewers, but left in the ground, destroying the natural aqueducts.

• china
• economy
• xin jinping
• toilets
• public baths
• sewers
• pollution
• water