China to work on tackling rural wastewater issues

China plans to ensure that 40 percent of domestic sewage in rural areas is being treated by 2025, to help address problems cause by accumulations of black and malodorous water, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

In tandem with the Ministry of Finance, the ministry has worked to strengthen rural environmental governance since 2008. Progress was particularly notable during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, said Su Kejing, head of soil environment and ecology at the national environmental watchdog.

During the period, central government allocated 25.8 billion yuan ($4 billion) to rural environmental management. With domestic sewage and waste management, the protection of drinking water sources and pollution control in livestock breeding as key focuses, treatment measures were carried out in 150,000 villages.

"The village environment has experienced a marked improvement," Su said.

Generally speaking, rural China remains weak in terms of domestic wastewater management, Su continued, adding that this remains "an arduous task to address".

As of last year, just 28 percent of rural domestic waste was being treated. The high cost of construction and difficulties in maintenance have impeded the creation of a comprehensive sewage treatment system in sparsely populated rural China.

Su pledged a raft of measures to promote rural sewage treatment.

Treatment facilities will be built in densely populated areas, while in those with more scattered populations, efforts will be made to promote the safe reuse of wastewater for agriculture.

Where conditions permit, the government will task companies possessing the correct expertise with treating wastewater on scale.

Su said that other viable approaches the ministry plans to introduce include outsourcing rural and urban business as a package to companies, and combining environmental treatment projects with industrial development.