Sanitation remains goal for developing economy

Beijing

Editor's Note: This is the seventh of a series of reports from Dawn Fotopulos, an associate professor of business at The King's College, New York, about China.

Just as finding drinking water was a challenge in China, so was happening upon proper sanitation. The middle school that so graciously hosted us very hospitably offered us use of their facilities before we left.

It's hard to accept that what we found is considered the norm for toilet facilities in this part of the world. This may be an indelicate subject, but it bears mention as we examine China's developing economy. Proper sanitation will always be a hurdle in the critical path.

What we found was an open trough behind a brick wall with no running water. The water was outside in the courtyard. There were two running spigots to service 7,000 students. Seven thousand is the average population of a medium-sized college in the U.S. In China, it's considered small even for a middle school. These types of facilities are unthinkable in the U.S.

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A healthy population is crucial for developing countries to grow, so waste water treatment plants need to be built by the thousands to protect China’s 1.4 billion souls.

Our Chinese guide mentioned that bathrooms there are rated on a "star" basis. Zero stars made a stop in the woods look like the Ritz. A five-star facility had a Western-style toilet that flushed. A modern miracle if you ask me. Never did I realize the deep affection I had developed for Western-style indoor plumbing.

In the tourist spots, my students quickly discovered that that the handicapped stalls usually contained Western commodes. Bearing this in mind, I decided I was "handicapped" for the rest of the trip.

In some parts of China you need to pay to use the facilities. Thankfully, we did not experience that. While most tourist areas were clean and accommodating, we learned that it's always wise to carry a supply of paper on you.

Chinese bathrooms are much like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: you never quite know what you'll get. A friend in the U.S. attempted to console me by stating that "in a new land, things aren't better or worse, they're just different."

I beg to differ. Poor sanitation really is "worse."