Creating resources for developing clean water infrastructure.

In recent years, along with urbanization, industrial development, and rural construction, the demand for clean water in central Vietnam has increased rapidly. However, the reality shows that the percentage of people using clean water that meets standards from centralized water supply systems remains low, especially in rural areas.

Clean water is a crucial criterion in the National Target Program for Building New Rural Areas.

For example, in Quang Tri province, approximately 64.3% of rural households use clean water that meets standards, but only about 40% have access to centralized water supply systems. Notably, Quang Tri and many other localities in the region are heavily impacted by natural disasters. Floods damage water supply systems in mountainous areas, while droughts and saltwater intrusion affect the plains. This causes infrastructure to deteriorate quickly, making it difficult to maintain its effectiveness in the long term.

At a workshop on water resource development linked to agriculture , new rural areas, and green energy in the Central and Central Highlands regions, held in Dak Lak on May 23rd, experts stated that the percentage of people in the Central and Central Highlands regions with access to clean water meeting standards is currently only 22-27%, significantly lower than the national average (approximately 51%). This situation highlights the urgent need to invest in rural clean water infrastructure in the Central and Central Highlands regions to ensure people's livelihoods and achieve the goals of building new rural areas.

On the other hand, although the central region has considerable water resource potential, the water distribution is very uneven both spatially and temporally. Approximately 60-80% of the annual flow is concentrated in the rainy season, while the dry season lasts six to eight months, often causing severe droughts and water shortages. People in mountainous and remote areas often have to use makeshift, unsanitary water sources, increasing the risk of disease and directly affecting their quality of life.

Faced with this situation, immediately after the administrative merger, provinces and cities in central Vietnam such as Quang Tri and Da Nang ... developed projects and specialized resolutions on the development of clean water supply systems for the period 2026-2030, with a vision to 2050, aiming to build and upgrade rural domestic water supply systems to meet the needs of production and daily life on an inter-communal and inter-regional scale. Along with prioritizing planning to expand the water supply system to remote areas and areas without clean water, localities simultaneously developed policy frameworks to support and subsidize domestic water for policy beneficiary families and vulnerable groups in society to ensure social welfare.

In Quang Tri province, during the 2026-2030 period, priority will be given to inter-regional projects, especially in the western region, where many areas still lack access to clean water. One of the new approaches in the province's governance is the development of the water supply system in an inter-regional and inter-communal manner, based on entrusting the operation and exploitation of projects to professional units to ensure long-term efficiency and stability. Along with long-term planning, Quang Tri also identifies mobilizing social resources as a crucial solution to promote the development of the clean water supply system. In reality, the investment capital needed for this sector is substantial.

It is projected that by 2030, the entire province will need approximately 309,000 m3 of water per day, requiring a total investment of over 2,500 billion VND for upgrading and expanding the water supply system; by 2050, the need will be approximately 573,000 m3 per day, with a total investment of nearly 6,200 billion VND. Given the limited budget resources, mobilizing businesses to invest in water supply projects is considered a suitable approach to create additional resources for the development of clean water infrastructure. Quang Tri will study and issue specific preferential mechanisms regarding loan interest rates, land lease prices, and appropriate water pricing frameworks to attract businesses to invest in the clean water supply sector; simultaneously, it will implement policies to support and subsidize clean water for poor households, policy beneficiary families, and vulnerable groups in society to improve their quality of life.

HUONG GIANG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tao-nguon-luc-phat-trien-ha-tang-nuoc-sach-post965798.html