Water and Sanitation Feature Story Management Options for Public Toilets35752 in Liuzhou, China #5 February 2006 In China, about 40 percent of the need to expand from 250 to 420 public China at a glance country's population resides in its 660 toilet facilities, (each containing from 4 cities, generating 60 percent of its GDP. to 15 seats) by 2010. These need to be 15 years from now, more than half of properly distributed across the city. In China will live in cities, generating addition, three fourths of the existing tremendous demand for urban toilets are more than a decade old, and infrastructure. This includes not only need to be replaced. conventional water supply and sanitation services, but also the frequently used (and oft-neglected) What is a Public Toilet? public toilet facilities. The World Bank is assisting Liuzhou, a booming city in Southwest China, with the implementation of the Liuzhou Population: 1.3 billion; Environment Management Project 38% urban,; 62% rural, (LZEMP), comprising USD 205.60 million 0.6% annual growth rate of investments. The program has a Surface area: 9,598,000 component that addresses municipal Km2 sanitation, which includes $8.82 million Life Expectancy: 70.8 for public toilets. In addition, LZEMP is years also investing in institutional development and capacity building, GNI per Capita: 1,290 including technical assistance to USD promote public-private partnerships for In Liuzhou "public toilets" includes a Human Development public toilets. The World Bank range of facilities, with anywhere from 4 to 15 separate seats, with varying Index ranking: 85 out of assistance builds on experience in degrees of quality. The term 177 countries Kenya and India. encompasses smaller portable toilets, % below the basic needs large community toilets, and poverty line: 4.6% Liuzhou rises to the Challenge everything else in between. % with improved water Liuzhou's present population of 1.3 access: 77% million is expected to grow to 1.5 million % with improved by 2010. It is the largest industrial Existing Public Toilet Management sanitation access: 92% center of Guanxi Province, and a major in Liuzhou regional hub for trade, and transport. Currently, there are three management Rapid urban population growth and arrangements for public toilets in Liuzhou at a Glance industrial and economic development Liuzhou. The "loss-making" toilets are have strained Liuzhou's already maintained by sub-city District · 1.3 million residents, burdened sanitation infrastructure. Environment Sanitation Departments but projected to grow Citizens have also demanded adequate, (ESD's) and "earning" toilets contracted to 1.5 million by 2010 well-dispersed and well-maintained out to individuals - one toilet per · About 250 Public toilets in the city. contractor. The management Toilets at present: arrangements are: 420 Public Toilets The World Bank is assisting Liuzhou required to cater to address a number of these sanitation ESD managed toilets: ESD workers demand for public challenges. 75% of the city's population clean these (usually twice daily), these toilets by 2010 uses public toilets, and about 15% do so are not manned full-time, and are free- · Capital Cost per toilet on a daily basis. The 7% of residents to-use toilets. About half the public seat: about 32,000 who are entirely dependant on these toilets in Liuzhou are managed this way. RMB (USD 4,000) community toilets are primarily from · Annual maintenance cost per toilet seat: poor households without toilets in their Type I no-revenue toilets: individual 1,400 ­ 2,000 RMB homes. Unfortunately, Liuzhou faces an contractors manning these toilets collect (USD 175-250). absolute shortage of toilets ­ in order to user charges (0.2 RMB or 0.025 USD · User Fee per use : match growth projections, Liuzhou will per use) but do not submit any contract fees to the ESD as collections are 0.2 RMB (USD 0.025)_for about 60 public toilets Water Supply and Sanitation Feature Stories tell how the World Bank supports countries to ensure efficient, affordable, and sustainable delivery of water supply and sanitation services. The World Bank provides approximately 1.5 Billion USD in new lending for water supply and sanitation per year. It is the largest external financier as well as a leading institutions in knowledge and learning in the sector. estimated to just about cover the operational costs. About a fifth of the 1. Commit and protect more land RELEVANT PROJECT public toilets are under this for public toilets: The arrangement. skyrocketing real estate prices in Liuzhou Liuzhou threaten to crowd out any Type II revenue toilets: individual kind of sustained effort at Environmental contractors collect tariffs from users expanding public toilets. Management (same as above), and submit monthly Compensation for public toilet Project contract fees to ESD's based on the construction in expensive areas auction price they quoted. These toilets should be considered Country China are manned and make operational 2. Identify and monitor toilet Project ID P081346 profits. Thirty percent of construction, operation and Project 194 million toilets are managed by this method. management costs: This should cost be done for each toilet type as well Type Specific as districts, on a "per toilet seat" Lending Exploring Options for Public Toilet basis. If well-executed, this will Instrument Management serve as a sound basis to determine Timeframe 2006-2011 financial viability. Status Open An analysis of current public toilet 3. Recover operational and conditions in Liuzhou by the Sanitation, management costs: Full recovery Hygiene and Wastewater Support of operational costs improves the Service of the World Bank led to the odds of sustained public toilet formulation of a list of options for the management. Differential pricing municipal government, each presented and family passes may also be used. with their advantages and 4. Put the customer at the center: disadvantages. Many possible public- Striking a balance between private arrangements exist, but the improving access to a public good MORE most promising range consist of the and providing service to a paying INFORMATION following: customer hinges on an improved ability to gauge demand, and adapt 1. The formation of a state-owned accordingly. Project Appraisal Environment Sanitation 5. Learn from others: There are Document, China - Liuzhou Environment Management Company to carry several models of public-private Management Project, out the functions of ESD (either partnerships (including the World Bank, separately for public toilets or aforementioned Kenyan and Indian April 2005 encompassing both toilets and solid examples). Liuzhou should pay China: Improvement waste); special attention to precedents that and Maintenance 2. Contracting out toilet have management arrangements Management of Public management to individuals and with the private sector. Toilets in Liuzhou: a small enterprises: an improvement Study, Somnath Sen, December 2005 over the present arrangements in The Bank and client are in the process that this allows clusters of public of discussing these findings, and seeing toilets to be leased. how best to apply them to the This Publication was 3. Centralized management at the management of the $8.82 million based on reports city level, with private sector investment in public sanitation under prepared by the agencies as delegated toilet LZEMP. Sanitation, Hygiene, and Wastewater management contractors ­ in one or Support Service of the two sets of contracts; World Bank, in 4. Inclusion of solid waste collaboration with the management in the contracts, to government of the city of Liuzhou and funded make public toilet management by the Bank- more financially attractive. Netherlands Water 5. Diverse provision and Partnership (BNWP) management arrangements, All photographs by selecting the best fit from the above Somnath Sen range for the specific type and revenue potential of each public toilet, while reflecting community "The construction and needs and capacities. management of the toilets of a city reflect the civilization of a country Beyond the definition and comparison of and also reflect the comprehensive these options, a set of strength of a country and living standard of the society." recommendations was presented to the Liuzhou Municipal Council relevant for - Ji Lin, Deputy Mayor, Beijing, all management systems. These World Toilet Summit 2004 include: Water Supply and Sanitation Feature Stories are published by the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Board of the World Bank. They are available online at http://www.worldbank.org/watsan and in hardcopy from whelpdesk@worldbank.org.