“The Water and Environmental Sanitation Program (WES program) in LiYuan Village, ShiQiao Township, ChunHua County, Shaanxi Province was carried out smoothly and had much achievement during one year since its operation.” Metso, a leading energy and environment solution supplier, announced recently.

Plan began to carry out the program in cooperation with Metso in 2008. It aims to ensure sustainable water supply in rural area, improve local people’s living standard, help them to set up health notion, through WES training, waste disposal and rain water collection and recycle training, toilet rebuilding, building methane system and safe drinking water activities. For example, when building sanitation facilities in communities, Plan emphasized the participation of villagers. Through it, Plan helped them enhance their environmental sanitation knowledge, and lead them to cherish health and life. Together with Plan China, Metso built tap water supply system, and improved the sanitary facilities for six villages like LiYuan Village in ChunHua County. After completion, the program will benefit about 1,000 families in the aspect of water and sanitation, and will establish a matured mode for the permanent water resource management system for the areas.

ChunHua County is located in the loess Plateau. For thousands of years, farmers had lived on nature. Most villagers of LiYuan Village live in the ravine. They had to collect rain water for daily use, and buy drinking water ten miles away. Therefore, water has become a matter of prime for the local government and farmers.

Since 2007, Plan’s WES program has benefited 125 communities and villages in YuLin, JiaXian, ChunHua, PuCheng, and XiXiang, totally 99,250 persons. Plan will continue such a good deed with Metso, including setting up new water supply or upgrading the present water supply, waste disposal, natural resource management, building Urine Diversion toilets, promoting methane system, improving rural roads, making irrigation plan, conducting toilet design and management training, and holding thematic and academic meeting and so on.