Nonstandard toilets to be removed

The Ministry of Environment, Green Energy and Tourism has decided to ban all toilets that don’t meet standards in special protection zones starting June 1.

Nonstandard toilets refer to outhouses, according to experts. This ban was initiated in April 2017 and since then, five guidelines have been released to authorities of special protection zones.

“Through the new decision, all protected areas will follow a standard on toilets to prevent soil pollution,” the ministry reported. “Simply put, wastewater will not be absorbed by soil and when a pit latrine is filled, it will be sucked out.”

The ministry advised organizations active in protected areas to change their toilets before June 1. A spokesperson stated that the ministry will cancel licenses of organizations that don’t comply with this decision.