Two years of implementing the rural clean water and environmental sanitation program

(Baonghean) -After 2 years of implementation, the National Target Program on Clean Water and Rural Environmental Sanitation (NTSP) phase 2 in Nghe An has achieved good results, contributing to improving people's living conditions and health, promoting socio-economic development in rural areas...

In 2009, Nghe An Health Sector began implementing the sanitation component of the National Target Program on Clean Water and Rural Environmental Sanitation. Thanks to active participation, the program was implemented synchronously with the goal that by the end of 2010: 63% of households will have hygienic toilets (an increase of 6% compared to before implementation); 100% of health stations will have hygienic water supply facilities and toilets (an increase of 7%) compared to before implementation.

To achieve the set goals, information - education - propaganda activities (abbreviated as IEC) have been integrated with many different methods and forms such as building propaganda reports on newspapers, radio, and loudspeaker systems in rural communes; propaganda through publications (panels, leaflets, manuals for inspecting water supply and household sanitation works, handbooks for communication and education on health and environmental sanitation). In addition, direct communication has been promoted by establishing a network of propagandists from commune to hamlet level. The integration and coordination of many IEC methods has brought great efficiency in mobilizing people to build hygienic toilets, improve personal hygiene, and environmental sanitation in rural areas. In parallel with propaganda activities, the Steering Committee also pays great attention to training and capacity building for local cadres, especially propagandists and technicians at the commune, village, and hamlet levels. In the past 2 years, 24 technical training courses on selecting, using, and maintaining hygienic family latrines have been organized; technical training on inspecting and supervising water supply and family sanitation works for 1,260 people; 19 training courses on communication skills on environmental sanitation, changing behaviors regarding clean water, personal hygiene, and rural environmental sanitation for 1,022 people. Participants include specialized sanitation officers of districts and communes, heads of health stations, health officers in charge of villages, hamlets, hamlets, chairmen of the commune women's association, sanitation propagandists, etc.

In 2009, the Steering Committee deployed a pilot model of hygienic household latrines in two communes, Hung Nhan (Hung Nguyen) and Quynh Phuong (Quynh Luu). By 2010, it continued to deploy in three pilot communes, Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc), Dien Van (Dien Chau) and Hung Tien (Nam Dan). Of the five communes selected to deploy the model of hygienic household latrines, three are coastal communes where people have the habit of not using latrines, while two are dike-side communes that are frequently flooded, where people's lives are difficult and people are used to using makeshift, unhygienic latrines. Therefore, construction workers and families have been provided with information to build latrines suitable for local conditions. In coastal areas with high population density, no arable land, the main occupations are fishing and trading, and people do not reuse manure for farming, the appropriate latrine model is a septic tank model. In the plain area along the dike, mainly agricultural production, must use a lot of fertilizer for cultivation, so here the construction of two-compartment ecological toilets was deployed. The results after implementing the model, the rate of households with hygienic toilets in Quynh Phuong commune reached 47.3% (an increase of 11.2% compared to the set target); in Hung Nhan commune reached 69.5% (an increase of 14% compared to the target); in Dien Van commune reached 58.7% (an increase of 4.1%), in Nghi Thiet commune reached 40.8% (an increase of 0.8%), in Hung Tien commune reached 48.5% (an increase of 0.2% compared to the set target).

Regarding the construction of commune health stations, according to the 2009 review results, most of the sanitary facilities are only enough for health station staff to use, there are no sanitary facilities specifically for patients. In 2010, the National Target Program for Rural Health and Sanitation supported the construction of 21 new sanitary facilities at 21 health stations with a total support capital of 700 million VND. Currently, 468/478 health stations have hygienic water supply facilities (reaching 98%); 456/478 health stations have standard sanitary facilities (reaching 95%)... Thus, after more than 2 years of implementation, the rate of families with hygienic toilets reached 63.1% (exceeding the set target), but the rate of health stations with hygienic water supply facilities and toilets is lower than the target. Most commune health stations have sanitation facilities, but maintenance and sanitation have not been given due attention while funding for construction is limited, resulting in many facilities being degraded. In particular, the recent storm and flood in 2010 damaged 13 water supply facilities and 13 sanitation facilities of commune health stations...

Despite some difficulties, the project has contributed positively to changing awareness and behavior, improving environmental sanitation conditions, living conditions and health of rural people. The Steering Committee will continue to implement the program phase 3 (2011-2015) to contribute to building the image of a green, clean and civilized new countryside.

Gia Huy