Beijing Hutong Conservation Plan - Tibet Heritage Fund

Sewage
We witnessed new sewage pipes being put underneath many Hutong lanes in the Chaodou area in 2000-2002, but
the majority of courtyards had only very basic drainage facilities, with one drain hole connected to the street sewage.
Many residents have built makeshift drains from their rooms connected to the drain hole.
To improve the living conditions in the courtyard houses it will be an important task to upgrade and redesign water
supply and sewage and drainage facilities, including separation of rain water and sewerage for treatment to combat
Beijing’s chronic water shortages.
Toilets
Sewage installment in Hutong alley
90% of residents in the survey area are using the public toilets in the streets, usually located very nearby.
In the Chaodou survey area there are 8 public toilets. This area has 600 families, so each toilet is shared by 77 families on average. But a few families have
private or shared toilets in their courtyard.
In the Yandai area, there are 3 public toilets serving 160 families. On average 53 families share a public toilet in this zone.
In the Gulou zone are 3 public toilets, serving around 100 to 130 families in the 16 courtyards. On average here, 40 families share a toilet.
62% of the surveyed residents said they had a negative opinion about the toilets, citing both inconvenience (especially at night and during cold winters) and
lack of hygiene. The public toilets are maintained by the government, and in residential areas, their usage is free of charge. They are usually not connected
to any sewage system, but emptied regularly via pump trucks. Traditionally, every courtyard had at least one composting toilet, but the system of manure
collection became obsolete as tenants, desperate for space, took over most of the toilet spaces for building extensions. In some cases near Yandai we still
found the original composting toilets.
Some people wish to install a water-flush toilet in their home or courtyard. But space for such an installation needs to be identified, and a connection to the
sewage needs to be made [and paid for]. In the Chaodou area, 22% of the resident families already have at least one water-flush toilet in the courtyard.
New public toilets appearing in the Hutong area within water flash system, improving the hygiene conditions considerably, especially in the summer.
Public toilet (left) regularly
need to clearn up by pump
track
New public toilet (right)
with waterflash system,
improving of hygiene
conditions
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