Provincial Party Secretary: Avoid monopoly in clean water supply
(Baonghean.vn) - Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh directed that it is necessary to focus on perfecting the State's policy and management mechanisms, creating competition, avoiding monopoly to ensure water quality when supplying to people.
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| On the morning of April 18, the inspection delegation led by comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation had a working session with the Department of Construction and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on the Project to Ensure Clean Water Supply in Nghe An Province for the period 2016-2020. Photo: Thanh Le |
Complete project objectives
According to the report of the Department of Construction on urban water supply, by April 2019, 21/21 urban areas had centralized clean water supply plants. The total water supply capacity of urban areas reached 123,500m3/day and night, increase 11,000m3/day and night compared to the time of project approval. The total number of urban residents using clean water reached 441,144 people, an increase of 49,293 people compared to the time of project approval.
It is forecasted that by 2020, the project's target will be basically achieved. Specifically, the urban population using clean water in urban areas of type IV and above will reach 90.8% (target of 90%); in urban areas of type V, it will reach 91.7% (target of 80%). The average clean water loss rate in urban areas of type V will reach 19.3% (target of 25%); the average clean water loss rate in urban areas of type IV and above will only reach 19.75% (not reaching the target of 18%).
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| Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Nghia Hieu said that to achieve the goal of 60% of the rural population enjoying clean water that meets the standards of the Ministry of Health, it requires strong focus and direction to implement in the period of 2019-2020. Photo: Thanh Le |
Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Construction Nguyen Truong Giang said that the difficult target in implementing the Project (urban clean water supply part) is that by the end of 2020, the population rate of Thai Hoa town (type IV urban area) will reach 90% because currently this rate is only 48.6%.
Explaining the reason, Mr. Nguyen Truong Giang said: The investment project to build a new, expanded water supply system for Thai Hoa town (borrowing capital from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to increase capacity from 4,000m3/day and night up to 10,000m3/day and night has not been implemented. Currently, other sources of capital have not been mobilized to implement the project. In addition, the target set by the end of 2020, the rate of people in Nghia Dan town (type IV urban area) using clean water reaching 80% is difficult to achieve.
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| Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Construction Nguyen Truong Giang reported on the results of ensuring clean water for urban areas. Photo: Thanh Le |
Regarding clean water in rural areas, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Nghia Hieu informed: The goal of the Project to ensure clean water supply in rural areas by 2020 is that at least 85% of the rural population will have access to clean water; according to the Ministry of Health's standards, the target is 60%.
Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu said that in the period of 2016-2018, the province has upgraded and renovated 104 projects and put into use 5 unfinished domestic water supply projects in the period of 2011-2015 and 10 projects under implementation.
The results of implementation by the end of 2018 showed that 81% of the rural population had access to hygienic water and the population had access to clean water according to the standards of the Ministry of Health reached 52%. The project target of 85% of the rural population using hygienic water by 2020 is completely achievable and can be exceeded, expected to reach 86%.
The head of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reflected that the biggest difficulty at present is that by the end of 2018, only 5/14 projects under the National Target Program on Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation for the period 2011-2015 (which has ended) have been completed, while the provincial budget has no plan to continue. The projects that are difficult to complete are mostly small-scale projects that were started in 2010-2012, providing water to residents, and the commune People's Committee is the investor.
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| Operating the water pumping system at Thai Hoa Water Plant. Photo: Thanh Le |
Avoid monopoly in clean water supply
Concluding this content, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh emphasized that ensuring clean water for people is an extremely important issue serving people's daily life and production.
Clearly identifying the overall needs of the people and the quality of clean water are two major problems that need to be solved in implementing the Project to Ensure Clean Water Supply in Nghe An Province in the period of 2016-2020.
The Provincial Party Secretary requested the Department of Construction and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to clarify the total supply of clean water in the province. Along with that, it is necessary to focus on perfecting the State's policy and management mechanisms, creating competition, avoiding monopoly to ensure water quality when supplying to people.
Comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh noted that special attention should be paid to water supply for people in mountainous areas. The Department of Agriculture needs to coordinate with relevant departments and sectors to re-evaluate the effectiveness of clean water programs and projects for people in mountainous and ethnic minority areas to see whether they are effective or not.
“To increase the proportion of people using clean water, we need to increase the attraction of investment capital from businesses, foreign support and sponsorship programs as well as socialization programs for clean water projects as well as promote the internal strength of the people in investing in the clean water sector” - the Provincial Party Secretary emphasized.
Along with that, it is necessary to propagate to raise public awareness of the use of clean water, the management and operation of clean water supply works in rural areas after investment need to be focused on,...
