More than 40,000sets of cost-effective,environment-friendly toilets introduced from Sweden have been installed in the rural areas of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,south China.

Meng Guiping,an official of the region's Yongning County,said the household toilets,costing only 300Yuan (about US$36),is good for the environment,disease prevention and soil fertility.

He said 30,000more will be put into use in the county this year.

In his recent inspection tour to Guangxi,Uno Winblad,an official with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency,said the toilet design is the most simple and cost-effective one he has seen anywhere in the world.

Winblad,also vice-chairman of the organizing committee of the International Conference on Ecology and Sanitation to be held in November this year in Guangxi,described the toilet as a perfect ecological and sanitary solution.

He called for efforts to spread the successful experience gained in Yongning County to the other parts of the world,especially the developing countries.

(Eastday.com.cn 06/04/2001)