Relaxing in a shower after sporting activities or at the end of a hard day's work is turning out to be a pipe dream for students at the Shanghai Teachers University campus in Fengxian District, thanks to a new rule, in effect from September, which states that "shower in campus bath-rooms will be charged by the minute."

However, the school is not the first to take a step to prevent waste of water. All three universities in Songjiang College Town, with a total of 10,000 students, launched a "time charge policy" in their campus baths last fall semester, levying 0.18 yuan a minute. Teachers university charges 0.2 yuan per minute.

With the time charge, students are now finishing their shower fast - no longer taking their time showering.

A survey by Teachers University's logistic center, which enacted the charging method, showed that on an average a male student spends about five minutes in the shower, while a female takes seven minutes.

Prior to the new charging method, taking a shower was at least a half-hour affair for boys while it was much longer for girls, the center said.

"We are satisfied with the results. Thanks to the new charging method, we don't have to worry about the shortage of taps in the campus baths while saving water," said the center's vice director, identified as Qian.

According to Qian, under the new charging method, each student should use an IC card when entering the bathroom and pinning in the individual code to enable the computer-controlled shower to calculate how long a student spends in taking a hot-water shower.

In the past, students just had to pay two yuan (US$0.24) to buy a "shower ticket," for taking a shower, and the sky was the limit.

Qian explained that the 87-hectare campus now holds some 7,000 students, double the figure last year, but the number of shower taps at the bathhouses was still 230.

"Some students washed clothes in the shower, not only wasting a huge amount of water, but also keeping others waiting," said Qian.

Students at the receiving end of this "economical shower" rule are not amused.

"It's terrible to count time while taking shower," said Gu Zefang, a sophomore at Teachers University.

But Gu acknowledged the new practice guarantees efficiency and students don't have to waste time awaiting their turn for a shower.

According to Wang Xin, spokeswoman of the Shanghai Education Commission, since independent logistic centers now manage the canteens and baths, the commission's job is to ensure fair prices.

(eastday.com October 19, 2002)