China allocates 7t yuan for 'toilet revolution'

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced Thursday that it will allocate seven trillion yuan ($996.3 million) from state revenue to support the "toilet revolution" in rural areas.

This is based on a newly-launched policy to reward and subsidize the rural toilet revolution, which aims to build better toilets and improve sanitary conditions in the countryside.

The ministry emphasized that all parts of the country should be dedicated to ensuring implementation of the policy.

To fulfill the three-year goal of the toilet revolution, local governments should put their main focus on first-tier counties this year and the next, while also taking second-tier counties into account concerning toilet upgrading.

Local financial departments should set aside special funds, and reward or subsidize rural residents who have improved their toilet conditions voluntarily.

Supervision and information transparency should be enhanced to make sure the money goes toward funding the rural toilet revolution. Any operation against the regulations and the law should be investigated and those responsible punished.

Over 10 million rural toilets were upgraded in 2018, accounting for more than half the total in rural areas, according to the ministry.

In the first half of this year, more than 10 million rural households have renovated or rebuilt their toilets, and it is expected that over 12 million toilets will be upgraded this year.