The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the sixth of which is "Clean Water and Sanitation", namely: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.  (Click here for details)

Under this major goal, there are eight targets, the second of which is "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations".

● Current Situation

About the World

Environmental and Personal Hygiene are Essential 

UN agencies report that of the 673 million people practicing open defecation, 91 per cent live in rural areas. 

WHO and UNICEF report that in 2016, 21 per cent of healthcare facilities globally had no sanitation service, directly impacting more than 1.5 billion people, and over 620 million children worldwide lacked basic sanitation services at their school. WHO estimates that every $1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of US $4 in saved medical costs, averted deaths and increased productivity. Hygiene promotion is also ranked as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions. Conversely, a lack of sanitation holds back economic growth.

Text and photo source: un.org

About China

Toilet Revolution for Better Environments

Photo source:baidu.com

Toilet is not only the necessary space of human life, but also a mirror reflecting social civilization. In the context of the devastating impacts caused by the Covid-19 o, it is crucial to make sure water and sanitation facilities for everyone. Toilets combined with clean water and good sanitation constitute a strong defense against the Covid-19 and future disease outbreaks. The "Healthy China 2030 Planning Outline” proposed to speed up the construction of sanitary toilets, and strive to make sure that by 2030, rural residents in China will basically have access to sanitary toilets. It is an important task to promote the toilet revolution for improving the rural living environment, building a beautiful and livable countryside and implementing the Rural Revitalization Strategy.

Text source: National Rural Human Settlements Promotion Office

●  Cases

About the World

Google and Indian Government Trying to Eliminate Open Defecation

Photo source:163.com

In India, it is not easy to find a safe and hygienic toilet. According to some official survey data, about 70% of Indian families do not have a toilet. People have to defecate everywhere. Water and soil pollution is very serious.Google has been working with the Indian government to develop a toilet location-based service application to help users find public toilets to end India's nationwide open defecation.

Text source: guancha.cn

Spark 3D Printing Public Toilet

Spark has developed an easily transportable 3D printing toilet module to support the United Nations initiatives to improve open defecation and sanitation in India. In less developed countries, open defecation is the main cause of diseases. Spark innovative concept converts human excreta into biogas, and uses micro cogeneration units to convert biogas into electric energy. The proposal addresses the urgency of eliminating open defecation and the positive benefits of using natural waste to create "free" energy for remote areas.

Text and photo source: landscape.cn

About China

Intelligent Public Toilets in Shenzhen

Public toilet is an indispensable part of urban public service facilities, which is a window to show the image of urban civilization and public service level. The intelligent public toilets on the streets of Shenzhen combine the Internet of things, big data, network transmission, sensor technology, etc. to realize the fine management of public toilets. People can evaluate the public toilets' environmental hygiene and hardware facilities according to the mobile APP terminal and WeChat official account, so as to supervise the cleaning situation of public toilets by service units, enhance the brand image of the city, and improve the happiness index of the people.

Text and photo source: cn-hw.net

Rural Sewage Purification Turning Village into Tourism Attraction

Photo source: landscape.cn

Building beautiful countryside is an important part of construction of beautiful China. The rural "toilet revolution", being part of the construction of beautiful countryside, is the key link to improve the rural living environment. In Dongwan village of Doumen Lianzhou in Zhuhai, the water source protection zone became a popular lotus appreciation resort in recent years. The local government combines the "toilet revolution" with the construction of sewage pipe network to explore the effective connection between toilet renovation and rural domestic sewage treatment. The sewage purification pool connected to the ground forms a huge filter screen covering a total area of three mu, which transforms toilet sewage and feces from the previous pollution source into an artificial wetland planted with lotus.

Text source: Nanfang Daily

●  Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On 1 January, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.