Water Supply And Sanitation In The People's Republic Of China
This article was written in 2007, with subsequent updates on substance, including most recently in 2013. Please feel free to update it further.
| People's Republic of China: Water and Sanitation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Data | ||
| Access to an improved water source | 91% (2010) | |
| Access to improved sanitation | 64% (2010) | |
| Continuity of supply (%) | Generally continuous, but seasonal shortages in some areas | |
| Average urban water use (liter/capita/day) | 204 (2005) | |
| Average urban water and sewer bill for 20m3 | US$ 3.5/month for water only | |
| Share of household metering | 90% (2004) | |
| Share of collected wastewater treated | 52% (2006) | |
| Annual investment in WSS | about US$ 10 / capita (2006) in urban areas. | |
| Share of self-financing by utilities | close to zero | |
| Share of tax-financing | about 35% (from city budgets) | |
| Share of internal debt financing | 55-60% | |
| Share of foreign financing | 5-10% | |
| Institutions | ||
| Decentralization to municipalities | Full | |
| National water and sanitation company | No | |
| Water and sanitation regulator | No | |
| Responsibility for policy setting | The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (until 2008 the Ministry of Construction) for urban water supply; Ministry of Health for rural water supply; Ministry of Water Resources for Water Resources Management | |
| Sector law | No | |
| Number of urban service providers | 41,663 (including small towns) | |
| Number of rural service providers | n/a | |
Water supply and sanitation in China is undergoing a massive transition while facing numerous challenges such as rapid urbanization, a widening gap between rich and poor as well as urban and rural areas. Water scarcity, contamination, and pollution also pose great challenges.
Much has been achieved during the past decades in terms of increased access to services, increased municipal wastewater treatment, the creation of water and wastewater utilities that are legally and financially separated from local governments, and increasing cost recovery as part of the transformation of the Chinese economy to a more market-oriented system. The government quadrupled investments in the sector during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006–10).
Nevertheless, much remains to be achieved.> According to survey data analyzed by the Joint Monitoring Program for Water and Sanitation of WHO and UNICEF, about 100 million Chinese still did not have access to an improved water source in 2008, and about 460 million did not have access to improved sanitation. Progress in rural areas appears to lag behind what has been achieved in urban areas.>
Read more about Water Supply And Sanitation In The People's Republic Of China: Access, Links To Water Resources, Links To Poverty, Health, and Hygiene, Responsibility For Water Supply and Sanitation, Efficiency, Tariffs and Cost Recovery, See Also, External Links, Key Sources and Further Reading
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