Download the PDF: 214kb - EcoSanRes

EcoSanRes Fact Sheet 11Sweden-ChinaErdos Eco-Town ProjectDongsheng, Inner MongoliaBackgroundTo show that it is possible to build andoperate an urban community withsustainable approaches to sanitation,water use, solid waste management andinfrastructure, a bold new project hasbeen initiated by the Dongsheng Districtin Erdos Municipality, Inner MongoliaAutonomous Region, China. The city, inpartnership with a private constructioncompany, has collaborated with the SidafinancedEcoSanRes Programme in thedevelopment of a new town with four andfive-storey buildings, a nursery schooland a commercial centre. Phase 1 includes825 apartments, on-site ecostation andgreywater treatment system and wascompleted in 2006. All phase 1apartments have been sold at market priceand families are taking up residence. Thiseco-town represents the first majorattempt in China - and the world - to buildan entire town applying on-site ecologicalsanitation (ecosan).Exterior (top) and interior (bottom) ofan urban public pit latrine, DongshengIntroductionDongsheng, on the Erdos Plateau of InnerMongolia, is located in Northern China, ina region well endowed with minerals andespecially rich in coal and natural gasdeposits. The economy is developingrapidly, urban expansion and reconstructionis omnipresent, and housing is ingreat demand. However, the environmentalconditions are fragile, especially inregard to freshwater resources. The areareceives an annual precipitation of 300-400 mm with an evapo-transpirationpotential of about 2,800 mm and waterrationing is commonplace. The populationof Dongsheng is over 300,000 and theeco-town site (Hei Zao Kui) is only a fewkilometres from its centre.In downtown Dongsheng there are about60,000 households, 15,000 in multi-storeyand 45,000 in single-storey buildings, ofwhich 1/3 have private flush toilets and2/3 use public toilets. There are nearly300 public toilets, of which 56% are deeppit latrines, 38% are shallow pit latrines,and 6% are flush toilets. In the peri-urbanand rural areas most households haveprivate, shallow pit latrines – most ofwhich are in miserable condition. Opendefecation is common. The sanitationsituation in Dongsheng and vicinity istypical for China as a whole, a patchworkof facilities that are poorly maintainedleading to poor human health, groundwaterpathogen contamination, nutrientpollution and environmental stress.Indeed, the poor sanitation conditions puta high toll on the already stressedfreshwater resources.Sewage conditionsPrior to 1985, when collector pipes wereintroduced to the city centre, householdsewage, including flush toilet waste, wasjointly discharged with storm waterthrough open trenches. In 2002 the firstsewage treatment plant was put inoperation with a daily capacity of 30,000tons, but due to inadequate collector pipesthe volume treated is lower. The currentpractices contribute to polluting thegroundwater and there are obvious needsfor a sustainable system that preventspollution and conserves water. It isagainst this background that the city istesting ecosan in multi-storey buildings.The Eco-TownThe ecosan project is a unique privatepublicpartnership in which a privatedeveloper has adapted a sustainable sanitationapproach in a real estate businessventure in return for access to a particularparcel of land and a government taxrebate. Demonstration, training and stateof-the-artecosan knowledge is offered bythe EcoSanRes Programme. The R&Decosan support relates to technical solutions,management aspects, institutionaldimensions, community sensitisation,policy promotion, cost-benefit analysesand monitoring. More information aboutthe urban ecosan development in Dongshengcan be found at www.ecosanres.org.The ecosan town is equipped with modernporcelain toilets and urinals. The urinediversion,dry toilets and urinals usestandards developed and applied inSweden and in China. The sanitationfixtures and related equipment aredeveloped and manufactured in Chinaespecially for this project and nowavailable on the Chinese market. Urine iscollected and stored on-site in undergroundbrick and cement tanks made withlocal materials and subsequently used inlocal agriculture.Eco-Town Facts• 825 apartments in multi-storeybuildings – phase 1 completed in2006• nursery school for 900 children and100 staff plus public service centre• dry urine-diversion toilets andurinals for collection and reuse ofurine and dry faecal collection forcontainment, sanitisation andreuse• greywater is treated on-site andreused• household organics are collected,composted and reused• solid waste source-separation andrecycling• greywater treatment, thermalcomposting and solid wastesorting takes place in an on-siteecostation• the entire operation, includingmanagement and communicationwith the households, is carried outby a local ecosan team

training for enhanced understanding andknowledge is offered to managementteam members, operators, governmentofficials and others from the localcommunity and beyond. The apartmentowner-residents also undergo training forawareness and understanding of the ecotownmeasures.Apartment BuildingsFaeces collection binsUrine-diverting porcelain toiletStraight-drop urine diversion toiletdesignFaecal material is retained in dry form inplastic bin containers, removed from thebuilding basements and composted andsanitised along with household organicsin the on-site ecostation for reuse as soilimprovement. Thus, the community isoffered sanitation services that workwithout water, while the water andnutrient cycles are being closed.Water supply is restricted to kitchen andbath use and designed at about 80 litres/person/day. The greywater is collectedand treated on-site in a septic tankincluding aeration, post-chlorination andstorage pond prior to reuse and surfacesoildischarge during the winter months.Storm and runoff water is drained alongthe natural contours of the landscapewithout any mixing with the householdproducts. Household organics and solidwaste fractions are source-separated andbrought to the on-site ecostation forcomposting and reuse.The project staff has been organised into aseries of R&D and operational teamsspecialising in various components e.g.infrastructure planning and installation(roads, water supply, power, IT,ventilation), housing architecture andconstruction, eco-toilet installation andmaintenance, urine and faeces handling,greywater processing, composting, agroreuse,communications, and communitysensitisation,. Local universities areengaged in R&D assessments. EcosanTurning-bowl mechanismVentilation for the faeces collectionsystemOn-site storage pond for treatedgreywater that will be reusedOnce in full operation in late 2007, andafter the international scientific ecosanconference in August 2007, the modeltown will be the object of furtherperformance studies by sanitation andwater specialists, urban planners, urbanagriculturalists, finance experts andeconomists. In particular, the performanceof the ecosan system will be evaluatedand economic and environmental analysesfor comparisons with conventional practiceswill be made. Follow-up informationand promotion in regard to policydevelopment at local, provincial andnational levels is a collaborative effortbetween Dongsheng, the EcoSanResProgramme and the government of InnerMongolia. Since inception, the eco-towndevelopment has been subject ofconsiderable international attention.Authors• Sun Lixia (Chief) Li Rui (Vice-Chief):Erdos Eco-Town Project Office,Dongsheng District Government• Arno Rosemarin, Xiao Jun, UnoWinblad, Zhu Qiang, Guoyi Han,Cecilia Ruben, Ian Caldwell:Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)EcoSanRes Programme – www.ecosanres.orgStockholm Environment Institute – www.sei.seKräftriket 2B, SE-106 91 Stockholm, SwedenTel +46 8 674 7070, Fax +46 8 674 7020EcoSanRes is funded by Sida (SwedishInternational Development Cooperation Agency)May 2007