A residential community in Qingdao of east China's Shandong Province has introduced the use of seawater to flush the toilet instead of fresh water. 

It's the first time for the Chinese mainland to introduce such technology in a residential area. Eighty percent of Hong Kong's toilets already use sea water for toilet flushing.

The coastal city of Qingdao is one of the country's many areas suffering from an increasing lack of fresh water, and water used for flushing toilets accounts for one third of household water consumption.

The local water authority says the cost of seawater is much cheaper than fresh water, about half a yuan per ton, or about 6 cents US.

(CRI February 12, 2004)