The field of rural domestic sewage treatment has significant regional characteristics and is closely related to the level of economic and social development of each region. Qin Gang, Senior Water Supply and Drainage Specialist at the World Bank, said that the eastern provinces are economically developed and densely populated, allowing for the construction of centralized sewage treatment plants and sewerage networks. Central provinces have begun to build centralized sewage treatment plants and sewerage networks, but the collection rate is not high. The western region, with its low level of economic development, sparse population, harsh geography and climate, has yet to meet the requirements for village-level sewage treatment plants and sewerage networks.

About 9 billion tons of sewage is produced annually, but the treatment rate is only 22%. it is much lower than the urban sewage treatment rate of more than 90%. The phenomenon of sewage treatment facilities “do not need, only sunshine” is common, discharge standards are becoming more and more stringent, the growth of local affordability ... rural sewage treatment is in a predicament.

In terms of technology and standards, we should ensure that demand projections do not deviate from reality. The discharge standards for rural sewage treatment determine the technical planning, construction investment, operation and maintenance costs, financial analysis, sewage charges and the level of government subsidies for rural sewage treatment projects. The discharge standard of rural domestic sewage should be in line with the actual development of rural socio-economics. It is not better, better, local conditions, rather than “one size fits all”.

It is worth mentioning that there is a widespread phenomenon of rural sewage treatment facilities, “building is not needed, just sunshine”. According to the National Audit Office released in 2018 seconds bulletin (2017) the fourth quarter of the implementation of major national policies and measures, tracking audit results show that the environmental project construction is slow or unused environment is MOR. I am serious. For example, 146 of the 195 sewage treatment facilities in Jiangsu Province are idle, with an investment of 144.49 million 7700 yuan, and the actual operation rate is lower than 10%.

At the local level, the pace of rural sewage treatment is also accelerating. According to the reporter's incomplete statistics, so far, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Fujian, Yunnan, Anhui and other provinces and municipalities nearly 20 provinces and municipalities have introduced a series of policies to promote sewage treatment in villages and towns. For example, Hunan Province proposed 2020 the urban sewage treatment rate of more than 70%, the province's rural domestic sewage treatment and utilization rate and resource utilization rate of more than 70%. Shandong Province proposed that in 2020, more than 50% of the village was treated domestic sewage. Among them, more than 80% villages in rural domestic sewage treatment demonstration counties are treated with domestic sewage, and new rural communities have basically realized sewage collection and treatment.

Evaluation standards are a major problem for rural sewage treatment. There is no need to introduce uniform “one-size-fits-all” evaluation standards for rural sewage treatment throughout the country. Standards need to be adapted to local conditions, and some provinces are biased by setting discharge standards that are too stringent and even far beyond the technology.

Currently, there is a lack of governance standards in the area of rural wastewater treatment. However, the layout of the countryside is fragmented, the rural population is highly mobile, and the volume of water is unstable. As envisioned in urban sewage treatment projects, the basic volume of water as a minimum water tariff payment costs, social capital and local governments will face greater risks.

There is an urgent need to establish a payment system and cost-sharing mechanism for governance. In areas where conditions are favorable, payment systems for household waste treatment should be explored, taking into account such factors as the state of pollution prevention and control, economic and social affordability, and the willingness of rural residents to pay, so as to reasonably determine the level and standard of payment. A reasonable distribution mechanism for financial subsidies and household payments should be established to obtain a reasonable income from insured units.