Sweden-China
Erdos Eco-Town Project
Dongsheng, Inner Mongolia
ackground
To show that it is possible to
build and operate an urban
community with sustainable ap-
proaches to sanitation, water use,
solid waste management and infra-
structure, a bold new project has
been initiated by the Dongsheng Dis-
trict in Erdos Municipality, Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.
The city, in partnership with a pri-
vate construction company, has col-
laborated with the Sida-financed
EcoSanRes Programme in the devel-
opment of a new town with four and
five-storey buildings, a nursery
school and a commercial centre.
Phase 1 includes 825 apartments,
on-site ecostation and greywater
treatment system and was com-
pleted in 2006. All phase 1 apart-
ments have been sold at market
price and families are taking up resi-
dence. This eco-town represents the
first major attempt in China - and
the world - to build an entire town
applying on-site ecological sanitation
(ecosan).
Introduction
Dongsheng, on the Erdos Plateau of
Inner Mongolia, is located in North-
ern China, in a region well endowed
with minerals and especially rich in
coal and natural gas deposits. The
economy is developing rapidly, urban
expansion and reconstruction is om-
nipresent, and housing is in great
demand. However,
the environ-
mental conditions are fragile, espe-
cially in regard to freshwater re-
sources. The area receives an annual
precipitation of 300-400 mm with an
evapotranspiration potential of about
2,800 mm and water rationing is
commonplace. The population of
Dongsheng is over 300,000 and the
eco-town site (Hei Zao Kui) is only a
few kilometres from its centre.
In downtown Dongsheng there are
about 60,000 households, 15,000 in
multi-storey and 45,000 in single-
storey buildings, of which 1/3 have
private flush toilets and 2/3 use pub-
lic toilets. There are nearly 300 pub-
lic toilets, of which 56% are deep pit
latrines, 38% are shallow pit latrines,
and 6% are flush toilets. In the peri-
urban and