Residents of three towns in Shenzhen - Nan'ao, Kuiyong and Dapeng - may be able to flush their toilets with seawater in future, as practised in Hong Kong.

But the freshwater conservation scheme is unlikely to be adopted in the urban part of the city, said water supply bureau officials responding to a proposal put forward by municipal deputies.

Gao Shuhuan, Zhang Xinliang and nine other deputies advanced a proposal earlier this year urging Shenzhen to follow Hong Kong's example and use seawater to flush toilets, reports Southern Metropolis News.

The city, which suffers a severe lack of fresh water, had to buy 60 per cent of the 1.1 billion cubic metres of fresh water it consumed last year from elsewhere.

Officials said the seawater scheme was unrealistic for the central and western part of the city, due to geographical disadvantages and the high cost of seawater treatment.

But eastern Shenzhen, especially the three towns mentioned, enjoys an abundant supply of unpolluted seawater.

Usage of seawater will be considered a viable option in planning the water supply network there, officials said.

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