By the end of 2010, 150 government departments of the state’s organs in Beijing had shut down the public bathrooms attached to their office building to save water.

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Government Offices Administration of the State Council kept open just two small bathrooms for the cooks and workers of the dining hall, and they have to pay for the water.

Cheng Jing, head of the Beijing Water Authority, said that Beijing has been in a long-term drought since 1999, with the average precipitation decreasing 20 percent and the water source dropping 48 percent.