Bringing clean water to ethnic minority communities.

Việt Nam•03/08/2023

In implementing the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province, besides focusing on mobilizing resources to promote economic development, supporting people's access to clean water is also an important content of the program aimed at improving the quality of life and ensuring social security.

After many years of operation, the centralized water supply system in Vuc Luu village (Minh Quang commune, Tam Dao district) no longer meets the increasing needs of the local people.

With over 42% of the population being ethnic minorities in the province, ethnic affairs work in Tam Dao district has been identified by the Party Committee and government as one of the important political tasks aimed at improving the lives of the people, contributing to strengthening national unity, stabilizing political security and social order in the locality, and helping ethnic minorities feel secure and confident in the leadership of the Party and the State.

Over the years, the district has implemented many specific policies to support ethnic minority communities, including a program to address the shortage of clean water for daily use.

Specifically, from 2006 to the present, the district has received investment for the construction of 25 centralized water supply projects in the communes of Dao Tru, Yen Duong, Bo Ly, Minh Quang, Ho Son, and Dai Dinh town, thereby contributing to improving the situation of water shortage for the people.

As one of the localities benefiting from the program, Minh Quang commune has received investment for the construction of three centralized domestic water supply systems in the villages of Vuc Luu, Pho Coc, and Xa Huong.

Currently, these facilities are managed and put into operation by the Minh Quang Commune People's Committee.

To increase the number of households using water from the water supply facilities, right from the start of construction, the commune government directed the villages in the water supply cluster area to intensify propaganda and mobilization efforts through the public address system and integrate it into village meetings so that people would know and register to use the water.

Since their commissioning, these facilities have made a significant contribution to providing clean water, improving and enhancing the quality of life for local residents.

Not only in Minh Quang commune, but also in other localities with ethnic minority communities in the province, the appearance of rural socio-economic infrastructure has gradually changed and improved thanks to investment in centralized water supply projects. By the end of 2020, 100% of households had access to clean and safe drinking water.

However, many water supply facilities are now out of operation or have deteriorated and broken down after a period of operation, causing severe water shortages for people in many ethnic minority areas, especially during the dry season.

Comrade Dao Hong Sau, Chairman of the Minh Quang Commune People's Committee, shared: After many years of operation and use, the water supply facilities in the commune are currently deteriorating, and their operating capacity no longer meets the actual needs.

The commune authorities and residents in the villages earnestly hope that all levels and sectors will continue to pay attention to investing in, maintaining, renovating, and repairing existing water supply pipelines and filtration tanks, and increasing the capacity of existing clean water facilities. They also hope for investment in new water supply projects to promptly meet domestic water needs and ensure that the percentage of households in the area using clean water meets the regulations.

Upon review, the percentage of households in 11 communes and towns inhabited by ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, including Dao Tru, Bo Ly, Yen Duong, Minh Quang, Ho Son, Dai Dinh, Hop Chau (Tam Dao); Trung My (Binh Xuyen); Ngoc Thanh (Phuc Yen); Quang Yen (Song Lo); and Quang Son (Lap Thach district), that have access to clean water is only 10% - 12%.

To increase the percentage of households using clean water from centralized water supply systems, some localities such as Phuc Yen city are currently coordinating with Vinh Phuc Clean Water Joint Stock Company to propose a water supply project for villages in Ngoc Thanh commune; Tam Dao and Lap Thach districts are coordinating with several businesses to survey and propose investment and construction plans for clean water supply systems for people in their areas.

However, the difficulty and obstacle in the implementation process is that attracting and encouraging businesses to invest in rural and mountainous areas is very challenging because it relates to operating mechanisms and the costs and benefits for investors.

Due to the characteristics of the communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, which are vast and have a scattered, non-concentrated population, investing in infrastructure projects is difficult, requires large capital investments, and yields low profits.

In light of this situation, the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee recommends that the Provincial People's Committee promptly direct relevant departments and agencies to prioritize investment in water treatment plants that meet the standards of the Ministry of Health for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, so that households in these areas can use clean water, or to upgrade existing water treatment plants to provide additional water to mountainous regions.

For communes and towns where it is not possible to build clean water supply stations, it is proposed that other support mechanisms be implemented to ensure that people in mountainous areas have access to clean water, meeting the target of over 80% of households having access to clean water by 2025. This could include providing loans from the Social Policy Bank to support each household or group of households in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to invest in clean water systems.

Text and photos: Luu Nhung

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