Water supply and sanitation in China
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Access to an at least basic water source | 95% (2020) |
| Access to at least basic sanitation | 65% (2020) |
| Share of collected wastewater treated | 52% (2006) |
| Continuity of supply | Generally continuous, but seasonal shortages in some areas |
| Average urban water use (L/person/day) | 204 (2005) |
| Share of household metering | 90% (2004) |
| Annual investment in WSS | about US$10 / capita (2006) in urban areas |
| Share of self-financing by utilities | close to zero |
| Share of tax-financing | about 35% (from city budgets) |
| Institutions | |
| Decentralization to municipalities | full |
| National water and sanitation company | no |
| Water and sanitation regulator | no |
| Responsibility for policy setting | The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (until 2008 the Ministry of Construction) for urban water supply; Ministry of Health for rural water supply; Ministry of Water Resources for Water Resources Management |
| Sector law | no |
| No. of urban service providers | 41,663 (including small towns) |
| No. of rural service providers | N/A |
Water supply and sanitation in China is undergoing a massive transition while facing numerous challenges, such as rapid urbanization, increasing economic inequality, and the supply of water to rural areas. Water scarcity and pollution also impact access to water.
Progress has been made in the past decades, with increased access to services, increased municipal wastewater treatment, the creation of water and wastewater utilities that are legally and financially separated from local governments, and increasing cost recovery as part of the transformation of the Chinese economy to a more market-oriented system. The government quadrupled investments in the sector during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006–10).
Nevertheless, much remains to be achieved. According to survey data analyzed by the Joint Monitoring Program for Water and Sanitation of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, about 100 million Chinese still did not have access to an improved water source in 2008, and about 460 million did not have access to improved sanitation. Progress in rural areas appears to lag behind what has been achieved in urban areas. According to data presented by the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation of WHO and UNICEF in 2015, about 36% of the rural population in China still did not have access to improved sanitation.