Efforts made to promote rural governance in Kaiyang

Kaiyang conducts garbage sorting training. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Since the start of this year, Kaiyang county in Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has promoted rural governance by focusing on five areas to boost rural vitalization – upgrading houses, handling waste, improving the quality of water, renovating toilets and promoting new customs.

In terms of upgrading houses, efforts have been made to investigate hollow rooms, vacant houses, and dangerous houses, demolish illegal or deserted dilapidated buildings and rebuild new houses on the original site. It is estimated that 230 idle rural houses will be revitalized.

With regard to the handling of waste, the county has improved 70 village waste collection and transportation points, and built one pilot point for the disposal of rural organic domestic waste, reducing the amount of rural garbage transportation by 80 percent.

To improve the quality of rural drinking water, treat domestic sewage, and rectify black and smelly water, Kaiyang has strengthened the control of water sources, completed the upgrading of sewage treatment facilities and pipe networks, and implemented rural sewage treatment models such as "constructed wetlands + oxidation ponds" and purification tanks according to local conditions.

Currently, the county is promoting nine rural domestic sewage treatment projects.

In addition, Kaiyang's plans include renovating toilets for 1,080 households, 729 of which have completed toilet renovation.

Meanwhile, the county has helped villagers to abandon outdated rules and bad customs, and established new and improved ones in their place, especially the customs related to weddings and funerals. So far, Kaiyang has organized over 60 performances and added signs at more than 50 places to promote new customs.