Abstract:
Toilet revolution has become one important part of a rural revitalization strategy in China, aiming to effectively reduce the incidence rate of fecal oral diseases, while to ensure the health-care level and quality of human beings. Since 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with relevant departments, has taken active actions to vigorously promote the rural toilet revolution and achieved positive effects. However, some situation, like "poor construction, not working well and improper use" of rural toilets, still occurs in some rural areas. The main reason is a lack of a standard system for the toilet modernization and utilization of excrement, further to improve the hygiene of toilets facilities in rural areas. Therefore, this study first summarized the 22 national and industry standards system that were directly related to rural toilet construction and excrement disposal in China. It was found that the number of existing standards was seriously insufficient, indicating the standard system has not been well-established for the rural toilet construction and excrement disposal in China. As such, this study aims to establish a three-dimensional structure diagram of rural toilet construction and excrement disposal, using the system engineering technology method, including levels (basic standards, general standards, special standards), sequence (product equipment standards, engineering construction standards, technical method standards, operation management standards, safety and health standards), category (rural household toilet standards, fecal sewage centralized treatment center standards, other standards). An optimal level of special standard was further determined, according to the basic established principles of a standard system for rural toilet construction and excrement disposal. The key content of a standard system construction was proposed to fill the research gaps in the basic national standards, and the general standards system, as well as in the special standards. Four recommendations were also proposed during this time: 1) To organize a special standardization working group or professional committee as soon as possible to systematically implement the policy of the toilet revolution; 2) To strengthen the fundamental research on the various advanced international standards systems; 3) To speed up the preparation of urgently needed standards systems; 4) To encourage the local governments to actively prepare the local standards system, in order to provide for the rural toilet revolution in China. The standard system of toilet modernization and utilization of excrement in rural areas can provide an important means to guide the renovation of toilet and the utilization of excrement as resources, further to standardize development of the modern industry.