Through the program and project on expanding the scale of rural sanitation and clean water, Lai Chau province focuses on prioritizing the construction of hygienic latrines and clean water works in remote and isolated areas, contributing to improving the quality of life for people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
In order to help people gradually change their beneficial behavior in using hygienic latrines and rural clean water, the Provincial Center for Disease Control focuses on promoting communication activities, especially in the health sector. Many communication activities are organized in various forms such as: through the mass media, mobilizing each household and people to build and use hygienic latrines; training masons, setting up and supporting convenience stores to develop the sanitary market, sales collaborators on hygienic latrines; training village/village heads, health collaborators, commune-level communicators on communication skills on using hygienic latrines and rural environmental sanitation… Besides, the Education and Training sector also focuses on mobilizing the community to change their behavior on personal hygiene and environmental sanitation; use and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities in schools; skills in planning, organizing and implementing program activities at schools; monitor, evaluate and report on program activities at the school level.
With the close coordination between the sectors: Agriculture, Health, Education and Training, up to now, many clean water works, sanitation works have been renovated and newly built; thousands of households have access to clean water; Maintain a clean living environment, improve community health.
Model of rural sanitation and clean water at the Secondary School of Then Sin commune (Tam Duong district).
Bachelor Le Thi Thuy - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Environmental Health - School Health - Occupational Diseases (Provincial Center for Disease Control) said: “In recent years, with the financial support of the national target program on clean water and rural environmental sanitation, the program on building new rural areas, NGOs along with the attention and direction of the Provincial People's Committee in the field of rural environment; The Provincial Center for Disease Control has carried out activities, directed and coordinated with district health centers and grassroots health centers to train capacity building for collaborators, strengthen communication in the community. The results achieved on rural sanitation are very encouraging. Specifically: the proportion of rural households with hygienic latrines increased from 31,8% (in 2015) to 60,6% (in 2022). The awareness of rural people about personal and household hygiene has changed positively, making an important contribution to improving the conditions of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation in rural areas in the province.
The Health sector has organized and coordinated with relevant units to support 1.819 poor and near-poor households and policy families to build 1.819 hygienic latrines in 7 districts in the province. This greatly contributes to helping to improve the proportion of households with hygienic latrines in the communes and villages; People's awareness of hygiene issues has increased. The percentage of households with hygienic latrines in the whole province by the end of 2022 will reach 66,8%, and 60,6% in rural areas.
Ms. Sung Thi Pa (Ban Giang commune, Tam Duong district) said: “My family was supported 1 million VND to buy construction materials from convenience stores. As a result, there is more money to repair and renovate the old toilet to be cleaner and more beautiful, to help the family protect the living environment and ensure health."
However, besides the achieved results, Lai Chau province is still facing difficulties, problems and challenges. People's awareness about the use of clean water, environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, and the use of hygienic latrines is still limited. In many places, people still have the idea of relying on and waiting for the support of the State and programs and projects. Behaviors and habits of using clean water and hygienic latrines are still not popular, especially in the highlands and ethnic minority areas.
In order to achieve the planned goals and maintain the achievements in the coming time, in addition to promoting communication activities to raise people's awareness about clean water and environmental sanitation, Lai Chau province will focus on perfecting policies and institutions, and strengthening the capacity of grassroots organizations. Putting the goal of eliminating indiscriminate defecation into the socio-economic development criteria; increase funding for this field to make an important contribution to the socio-economic development of the province.
