A practical project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

(Baonghean) - Nghe An is one of six provinces in the Central region authorized by the Government to implement the Clean Water Supply and Sanitation Project funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under Loan Agreement No. 2609-VIE (SF) dated February 2, 2012, between the Government of Vietnam and the Asian Development Bank. To kick off this project, the province selected Dien Yen commune, Dien Chau district, as a pilot area and subsequently implemented it in communes in Yen Thanh district, which are the project's beneficiary areas.

Practical effectiveness in Dien Yen

Previously, the people of Dien Yen commune, Dien Chau district, always lived in a state of severe clean water shortage due to serious pollution of surface and groundwater sources. The majority of their clean water supply depended on rainwater. Families with better financial means invested in building rainwater storage tanks ranging from 4 to 15 cubic meters for daily use, or had to buy clean water in bulk from private vendors who delivered it by tanker at high prices. Although the government and people have made great efforts to invest in and improve clean water sources, an effective solution has yet to be found. Even though the commune has developed a project to build a centralized water supply system, it has not been implemented due to the enormous investment required, which the local people cannot afford.

Inspecting the operation of the clean water plant in Dien Yen commune, Dien Chau district.

Faced with this situation, with the support of the Center for Domestic Water and Rural Sanitation, Dien Yen commune accessed the Water Supply and Sanitation Project funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Accordingly, the Dien Yen Clean Water and Rural Sanitation Sub-project has a total investment of 52.8 billion VND, including a water treatment plant construction package worth over 37 billion VND, and the water source is surface water from the irrigation system. According to the design, the clean water plant has a capacity of 1,700 m3/day and uses modern water treatment technology meeting the Ministry of Health's Standard 02, and will be able to supply clean water to more than 3,515 households in the commune and surrounding areas.

In addition, the Dien Yen clean water and sanitation sub-project also invested in improving the use of hygienic toilets for 6 public locations at schools, health stations, and over 2,000 households. Mr. Duong Dang Hoang, Vice Chairman of the Dien Yen Commune People's Committee, said: “This is one of the important investment projects in the field of water supply in Dien Chau, so during the project implementation, the district and all levels, as well as mass organizations, have been very actively involved to create the most favorable conditions for the project to be implemented on schedule. After the project was launched, the commune government created all favorable conditions for the investment and construction of the project, such as doing a good job of land clearance, mobilizing people to contribute money to install water supply facilities…”.

Mr. Tran Van Viet, Director of Dai Viet Joint Stock Company, said: “The Dien Yen Water Treatment Plant project was started on June 14, 2013. The project was designed and constructed by a joint venture of contractors including Dai Viet Joint Stock Company, Phu Hai Limited Company, and Rural Infrastructure Construction Joint Stock Company. During the project implementation, despite encountering some difficulties regarding investment procedures and slow disbursement due to the project's financial mechanism, the construction unit still focused on modern equipment and personnel to complete the project on schedule, and the water treatment plant was completed in early May 2014.” This water treatment plant is equipped with modern production technology, and to manage and operate the facility effectively, the Center for Domestic Water and Rural Sanitation has assigned qualified technical staff to manage and operate it. After one year of operation, the plant has been operating very efficiently. Thanks to the efforts of Dien Yen commune in mobilizing residents to connect to and develop the water supply pipeline network, and signing contracts for clean water usage, clean water from the plant is now readily available to meet the needs of the people.

Expand the benefit area.

Following the successful implementation of the pilot project for clean water supply and sanitation in Dien Yen commune (Dien Chau district), our province continues to deploy the sub-project for clean water supply and rural sanitation in the communes of Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Vinh Thanh, and Trung Thanh (the second phase of the project). Accordingly, the goal for clean water supply is to ensure a supply of 80 liters of clean water per day per person, according to the standards of the Ministry of Health, for the people of Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Trung Thanh communes and hamlets 5, 6, and 7 of Trung Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district). The investment scale includes the construction of a clean water plant with a capacity of 3,500 m3/day, and the water quality meets the quality standards stipulated by the Ministry of Health. The project components include a raw water pipeline from the N6 canal; a raw water reservoir with an area of ​​31,319 m2; a primary pumping station; and a sedimentation, filtration, and water treatment system with a capacity of 3,500 m3/day. The project includes a secondary pumping station, a clean water reservoir with a capacity of 1,000 m³/day; an administration building, a chemical storage facility, infrastructure works, and a network of water transmission, distribution, and service pipelines with diameters ranging from 300 mm to 25 mm, totaling 134,828 m in length. It will connect approximately 5,315 households and agencies/units within the project area to the water supply network.

Mr. Nguyen Ich Xuan, in charge of communications for the project, said: “Along with investing in centralized water supply systems, the project also provides funding to improve household and public sanitation in Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, and Trung Thanh communes, and hamlets 5, 6, and 7 of Trung Thanh commune. This includes the construction of 9 public toilets for schools (Long Thanh: 4; Khanh Thanh: 1; Vinh Thanh: 3; and Trung Thanh: 1). It also involves building 492 underground toilets for poor and near-poor households headed by women with single incomes and facing economic difficulties, and providing revolving fund loans to build 1,417 septic toilets for non-poor households.”

At the same time, communication efforts will be integrated during implementation to raise public awareness of rural water supply and sanitation, thereby encouraging practical actions that contribute to the project's success. This is a large-scale project that, upon completion, will bring practical benefits to people in low-lying areas, especially contributing positively to the goal of building new rural areas. Therefore, it has received great attention and support from all levels and sectors in the district. Mr. Le Cong Dau, Chairman of the Long Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: "To ensure the project is completed on schedule, with guaranteed quality, and meets the expectations of the people, we will comply with the regulations and requirements of the donor, the investor, and the project management board in implementing the project."

"We will promote and encourage people to actively register and contribute to the construction of clean water facilities, the construction, upgrading, and renovation of sanitation facilities, and the organization of environmental protection activities to build green, clean, and beautiful villages to achieve the project's goals. The commune will create the most favorable conditions for construction units, such as land clearance and ensuring the safety of people and machinery. We will closely coordinate with the investor, the project management board, and construction contractors to resolve difficulties and obstacles, in order to accelerate the project's progress. Together with the Project Management Board, we will organize strict and proper community monitoring to ensure the project achieves the highest quality and effectiveness."

The rural clean water and sanitation sub-projects in Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Vinh Thanh, and Trung Thanh communes will commence construction on April 25th, with a total investment of VND 113 billion, including VND 102.7 billion for the water supply component and VND 8.9 billion for the sanitation component. Of this, 87% of the project's investment capital is borrowed from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with counterpart funding from households connected to the project and 13% from the local budget. The design and construction work will be undertaken by the following companies: Dai Viet Joint Stock Company, Vietnam Environment and Construction Company, Hong Dao Limited Company, Phu Hai Limited Company, Nam Viet Environment Joint Stock Company, Rural Infrastructure Construction Company, Hung Dung Construction Investment and Consulting Company, and Trung Do Design and Construction Consulting Company.

With the attention and investment support of the clean water and sanitation project from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, schools and rural households in the project's beneficiary area have access to clean water and have the opportunity to invest in building standard toilet facilities, improving their quality of life.

Vinh Cam