URUMQI -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has invested 510 million yuan (around $71.5 million) so far this year to improve the rural living environment, local authorities said.

The amount has already reached 60 percent of the total investment in the area last year, according to the regional agriculture and rural affairs department.

In 2018, Xinjiang introduced a three-year plan in an effort to achieve a significant improvement of the living environment in its rural areas by 2020, including popularizing hygienic toilets and improving up waste management.

Official data shows that, as of April, 26,834 hygienic toilets had been installed in Xinjiang's rural areas, with the penetration rate of hygienic toilets reaching 59 percent in rural areas. More than 7,500 villages, or 83 percent of the total, were able to dispose domestic waste effectively.