The latest national rural sewage discharge standards are here! The standards for this place were probably decided on a whim...

When it comes to rural sewage treatment, what people can think of are sunbathing during the day and basking in the moon at night, face-saving projects, wasting money in vain, being unable to afford to build or use, and water and soil incompatibility, etc. The reason why it has left such a deep stereotype on people is, on the one hand, the "diverse and flourishing" local standards, and on the other hand, the "one-size-fits-all" governance approach.

The strictest rural sewage discharge standards in all 31 provinces across the country are actually this one!

After comparing the emission standards of various provinces, the editor found that Beijing has the strictest emission standards, followed by Shanghai. It's no wonder they are big cities. In Beijing's standards, it is particularly proposed that the treatment of rural domestic sewage should be adapted to local conditions, with priority given to ecological treatment processes and encouragement of reuse. In key areas, stricter discharge limits can be implemented.

The reason for bringing this up is that some places blindly follow the trend and overly pursue high standards, not only wasting a lot of money but also being criticized by local people. Some netizens even joked that these "high standards" must have been set on a whim with just a cup of tea, a newspaper and a cigarette!

Is it better to have higher emission standards or is it more important to suit oneself?

Is it true that the higher the discharge standard for rural sewage treatment, the better? The answer must be negative.

High standards and strict requirements are necessary, but the rural sewage treatment standards set in some places are obviously too high. Especially, the requirements for nitrogen and phosphorus indicators are too strict, failing to reasonably reflect the advantages that nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients for agricultural production and can be resourcefully utilized. On the one hand, nitrogen and phosphorus are treated as pollutants and can only be discharged after degradation. On the other hand, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers need to be purchased and applied to farmland. This blocks the channel for resource recycling.

Meanwhile, although the technologies and processes for treating urban domestic sewage have become increasingly mature, they are difficult to be directly applied to the treatment of rural domestic sewage. Under the same treatment standards, if rural domestic sewage treatment adopts the urban sewage or industrial wastewater treatment process, the construction cost will be 11 times that of ecological treatment technology, and the operation cost will be three times that of ecological treatment technology.

Therefore, rural sewage treatment needs to attach importance to adapting measures to local conditions. For larger villages with a more concentrated population, village centralized treatment will be adopted. Villages that have the necessary conditions and are close to towns will be incorporated into the urban domestic sewage treatment system. For villages with a relatively scattered population density, a decentralized treatment model will be adopted.

Not only that, in many places, the rural domestic sewage treatment facilities that have been built are exposed to the sun. The main reasons are as follows

1) Some rural domestic sewage treatment projects failed to thoroughly understand the actual situation of the village and listen to the opinions of villagers in the early stage of design. The current situation and difficulty of rural domestic sewage treatment were not comprehensively considered, and the characteristics and laws of sewage treatment were not fully grasped.

2) Due to the mismatch between the construction of pipe networks and the construction of treatment facilities, some rural areas' sewage treatment facilities are "built but not used".

3) In many rural areas, the facility management personnel are mainly local villagers, who lack professional knowledge of sewage treatment and the necessary skills for equipment operation and management. They can only be responsible for the daily maintenance of the equipment and are unable to undertake professional system maintenance.

4) Most towns and townships find it difficult to bear the operating costs of sewage treatment facilities in the long term. Without direct financial support and professional operation and management, it is inevitable that the facilities will be abandoned and left idle.

So how can true governance be achieved? How to make one succeed?

Rural sewage treatment is very popular, but how can we make one project successful?

In recent years, policies related to rural sewage have been continuously introduced. From the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and The State Council on Further Winning the Battle Against Pollution", the "Five-Year Action Plan for Improving the Rural Living Environment (2021-2025)", the "Action Plan for the Battle Against Pollution in Agriculture and Rural Areas (2021-2025)" to the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Opinions of The State Council on Doing a Good Job in Key Tasks for Comprehensively Promoting Rural Revitalization in 2023 It can be seen that the policy content is becoming increasingly comprehensive and specific, providing more solid evidence for localities to implement and enabling them to better carry out the rural living environment improvement work.

Of course, after having the standards in place, the next step is to determine the direction in which governance should be carried out.

In terms of technology selection: Priority should be given to the resource utilization of rural domestic sewage. In areas where sewage reuse cannot be carried out, it is ensured that the treated sewage is discharged up to standard. Try to control the construction and operation costs of governance facilities including the collection system to reflect the affordability of local public investment. The pursuit is for simple operation and management, and normal operation can be maintained relying on local residents.

In terms of governance models: Rural sewage treatment work is advanced in accordance with the classification methods of new farmers' villages, natural villages, and scattered households. The new village for farmers is close to the town. Economic efficiency should be emphasized, and collection and treatment methods such as centralized collection and treatment and integration into the urban sewage network should be chosen. Natural villages can choose methods such as individual household treatment or centralized collection and treatment based on population concentration and the construction of existing sewage collection systems. Scattered farmers should adopt on-site resource utilization treatment methods.

In terms of technical processes: The discharge standards for centralized collected and treated tail water should be comprehensively considered based on the dual factors of environmental sensitivity and water environmental capacity of the region where it is located. Ecological, low-carbon, economical and simple treatment processes (such as biological filter technology, etc.) should be selected in accordance with local conditions. Treatment facilities should pursue miniaturization and equipment. After the effluent from rural sewage treatment meets the standards for farmland irrigation water, it is encouraged to return it to the fields on the spot for utilization.

In terms of resource utilization: Promote resource-based governance and rural toilet renovation in a coordinated manner, and form a linked plan for fecal and sewage transportation and sewage treatment and disposal. Scientifically formulate technical standards for the resource utilization of manure and sewage and strictly supervise their implementation to ensure that the manure and sewage meet the safety standards for the application of organic fertilizer after disposal. Refine the subsidy policies for the resource utilization of manure and sewage, and support rural residents in using organic fertilizers from manure and sewage through multiple channels.

In terms of operation mechanism: Plans for the treatment of rural sewage, manure and agricultural waste should be carried out. The professional companies introduced should be capable of operating and maintaining rural sewage treatment facilities, manure transportation and treatment facilities, so as to achieve coordinated operation. Carry out remote supervision of governance facilities or recruit local residents to participate in grid-based supervision, establish an online declaration system for operation and maintenance units, implement scientific supervision, ensure sustainable operation, and achieve coordinated development of rural domestic sewage treatment.

In terms of the market economy: In regions with the necessary conditions, professional institutions can be entrusted to coordinate the implementation of rural domestic sewage treatment and enhance the level of large-scale operation. Encourage projects to adopt a balanced approach of "fat and lean", and achieve comprehensive environmental and economic benefits through the integration of urban and rural areas, the integration of water supply and drainage, and the combination of environmental governance and industrial development. Give full play to the supporting role of green finance, act as a bridge, guide social capital investment, and solve the problems of difficult and expensive financing.

In terms of villagers' supervision: Give full play to the organizational and coordinating role of the village committee and the village Party branch, organize villagers to participate in the planning, construction, operation and management of sewage treatment through means such as fundraising and labor contribution, and break through the "last mile". Improve village regulations and conventions, strengthen publicity and education, guide villagers to discipline themselves, and reduce the random discharge of sewage. Implement a project public announcement system, ask for demands and listen to opinions, and let villagers supervise to promote the effective treatment of sewage.

Conclusion

Rural sewage treatment is necessary, but adapting measures to local conditions is the prerequisite. A one-size-fits-all approach to governance is simply a waste of money. Blindly following the high standards is even more absurd. Only what suits you is the best.

Of course, the current problem is not the lack of standards, but rather excessive standards. It's not that there is no governance, but rather blind governance. It's not that there is no technology, but that the technology is not suitable for the local environment.