With vigorous supports from the central government and other provinces and cities, Lhasa has made great progress in its urban construction in recent years. Relevant departments have built a large number of public dry toilets. However, the toilet issue has remained a thorny problem for Lhasa for years.

The Middle Beijing Road is a vibrant trunk road in Lhasa, where the stately and splendid Potala Palace is located. Two years ago, as there were few public toilets along the road, many males used the earthen walls along the road as toilets in the daytime. Tourists and female passers-by had to make a detour or strike aside embarrassedly when running into such a scene.

Since last year, the Chinese government and Lhasa Municipal Government have invested more than 10 million yuan (US$1.23 million) to construct public sanitation facilities. In 2004 alone, the city built 79 public toilets. According to incomplete statistics, Lhasa has nearly 200 public toilets and pay toilets at present.

These toilets cover not only the city's main blocks and tourist resorts but also surroundings of old districts like the Barkhor Street. On the Potala Palace Square which completed construction this year, three environment-friendly mobile toilets have opened to citizens and tourists. Courtyards and streets in Lhasa's old districts have also been equipped with clean and healthy flush toilets.

Nowadays, one can find the Middle Beijing Road scattered with clean modernized flush toilets in the Tibetan architectural style which provide necessities such as toilet paper and sanitary towels.

A janitor of a pay toilet in the Barkhor Street said that her toilet brings her more than 600 yuan (US$74) income each month and the earning even exceeds 1,000 yuan in high tourist seasons. In the past, some farmers and herdsmen from outside the city could not understand why one had to pay for going to the toilet. Now everyone is willing to spend several cents to ensure toilet civilization.

(Chinanews.cn December 30, 2005)