Finding solutions for clean water projects in rural areas and ethnic minority areas

Many clean water projects are abandoned.

According to the Center for Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Yen province, before 2010, in the three mountainous districts of Song Hinh, Son Hoa, and Dong Xuan, there were 48 centralized rural water supply works built from Programs 134, 135 and the National Target Program on Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation with a total investment of more than 56.8 billion VND; the total daily capacity of 11,312m3 of domestic water supplied to 48,332 people in 9,460 households. After 13 years of construction, up to now, only 14 works are operating sustainably, 4 works are normal, the remaining 11 works are ineffective and 11 works are not operating.

Many rural clean water supply projects operate unsustainably.

In addition to the three capital sources mentioned above, from 2010 to present, the three mountainous districts of Song Hinh, Son Hoa, Phu Yen have also mobilized businesses and people in combination with central capital to support the implementation of urgent projects to prevent and overcome drought and saltwater intrusion to invest in the construction of 24 more concentrated rural water supply works with a total investment of more than 164 billion VND, with a total daily capacity of 8,041m3 of domestic water to supply 52,922 people in 9,942 households. However, up to now, only 10 works have been operating sustainably, the remaining 6 works are normal, 2 works are ineffective and 6 works are not operating.

Sharing about this issue, Mr. Ho Huu Nhu, Director of the Center for Clean Water and Rural Environmental Sanitation of Phu Yen province, said that the scale of many rural water supply projects that were invested in and built before was small, not synchronous, and the exploited water source was unstable...

However, over the past 8 years, the budget support for localities has been limited, making it impossible to upgrade rural water supply works. Some areas lack water but have not yet invested in rural water supply works. Meanwhile, the revenue from water use is not enough to maintain and repair problems, so many works have seriously degraded and have been abandoned. Localities have not yet found an effective and sustainable management model for centralized rural water supply works.

The water supply system has seriously degraded.

Talking about some difficulties and shortcomings, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Phu Yen Provincial People's Council Pham Ngoc Cong, Head of the delegation surveying the investment, management, use and exploitation of concentrated rural clean water supply works in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of the province, in May 2023, said that most of the concentrated rural clean water supply works have been put into use for more than 10 years, so they are often damaged, degraded, operate inefficiently or do not operate.

In addition, the equipment invested in the projects at each stage is not synchronized, making it difficult to inspect, control and evaluate the rate of water loss. The annual budget allocated for investment, upgrading and expanding water supply projects in mountainous districts is very little, not meeting actual needs.

Tanks in clean water supply works are seriously degraded.

In addition, water usage fee revenue is not enough to cover the costs of maintenance, repair and troubleshooting of minor incidents; the model for management, operation and exploitation of water supply works has not been unified; the conversion or establishment of public service units to perform management and operation tasks has not been implemented. The professional qualifications, capacity and experience of management and operation staff are still weak, uneven, frequently changing, and many staff stations do not meet professional requirements. The work of calling for socialization in investment, upgrading and expanding water supply works is also facing many difficulties.

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The mountainous ethnic minority region of Phu Yen is the long-standing residence of three main ethnic groups: Ede, Cham and Bana. Up to now, the ethnic community has developed diversely and richly with 33 ethnic groups, including 32 ethnic minorities, with over 60,000 people living, accounting for nearly 7% of the province's population.

Solutions for effective use of clean water facilities

To address the shortcomings of domestic water supply works, in February 2023, the People's Committee of Phu Yen province established a plan to invest in and upgrade rural domestic water supply works for the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030.

Accordingly, in addition to focusing on restoring previous works, Phu Yen continues to invest in new construction, combined with upgrading and expanding a number of works in remote, mountainous, ethnic minority areas, and areas that often lack domestic water due to drought and saltwater intrusion. On the other hand, Phu Yen province calls for investment in domestic water supply works in the form of socialization.

Mr. Le Tan Ho, Permanent Vice Chairman of Phu Yen Provincial People's Committee, said: The specific goal by 2025 is that Phu Yen province must complete the restoration, maintenance and ensure the stable operation of 74 previously built domestic water supply works, with a total budget of over 185 billion VND to provide clean water to 34,403 households. Of which, 58.3 billion VND will be used as support from the central and provincial budgets, nearly 6.6 billion VND from the district and commune budgets, nearly 26 billion VND from people's contributions and 94.2 billion VND from other legal sources.

Next, it will call for investment in the construction of 29 new projects, with a total budget of nearly 734 billion VND, from socialized capital sources. By 2030, Phu Yen will not only ensure the maintenance of 103 invested projects, upgrade and expand, but continue to call for investment in 11 new projects, with a total budget of 217.3 billion VND to provide clean water to the people.

It is known that at the end of June, the Standing Committee of Phu Yen Provincial People's Council also conducted a field survey at many domestic water supply projects in the three mountainous districts of Song Hinh, Son Hoa, and Dong Xuan to have specific solutions in leadership and direction to overcome related difficulties and problems, and soon meet the domestic water needs of the people.

Propose solutions to meet the people's domestic water needs so that they do not have to use well water that is cloudy yellow, contaminated with alum and has a foul smell.

Proposing solutions to meet the people's domestic water needs, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of Phu Yen Provincial People's Council Pham Ngoc Cong proposed that the Provincial People's Committee recommend the Government and central ministries and branches to soon issue a decree regulating rural domestic water supply; circulars guiding the maintenance process of rural clean water supply works; implementing investment in the form of public-private partnerships in the field of irrigation and rural clean water; procedures for ordering and assigning plans for public services to supply domestic water to mountainous, remote, isolated and island areas and a decision on implementing preferential credit for rural water supply and sanitation works to implement the National Strategy on clean water and rural environmental sanitation to 2030, with a vision to 2050.

At the same time, the Ethnic Committee of the Provincial People's Council proposed that the Provincial People's Committee direct and guide the prioritization of capital allocation from local budget sources, sources of national target programs and other legal capital sources to accelerate the effective implementation of the goals according to Plan 27/KH-UBND dated February 6, 2023 of the Provincial People's Committee on investment and upgrading of clean water supply works for rural areas in the province for the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030.

In the immediate future, consider providing financial support or calling for investment to invest in, upgrade, repair, and expand degraded, inactive, or ineffective water supply works and areas without water supply works.

While waiting for the Central Government to issue a framework for clean water production standards in rural areas and guidelines for water price development, the province will consider increasing the price of domestic water in mountainous areas from the current collection level of VND 6,000/m3 (pumped water supply) to VND 7,000/m3 to ensure funding for management and operation; at the same time, allow depreciation of rural water supply infrastructure assets until the province issues a new water price (without depreciation).

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