The news was released at a conference in the Mekong Delta Province of Soc Trang jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the provincial People’s Committee and the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies.
The conference was held to review the result of implementation of the National Strategy on the supply of safe water, hygiene and sanitation in countryside.
As of 2020, enhance access to safe water supply and hygienic sanitation across the rural areas of the country, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in rural areas has mobilized VND106,733 billion (US$ 7.6 billion), accounting for 66 percent of the set goal.
Some 6.5 million households have asked loans to construct piped water supply while 6.2 million homes spent loans on building toilets, farms and brick- dome shaped domestic bio-digesters.
Around 88.5 percent of residents in countryside have accessed to safe water including 51 percent having used Vietnamese standard water and 75.2 percent of locals in rural district have toilets. However, people in mountainous areas in the North , North Central and Central Highlands regions lack access to safe water sources.
Worse, the supply of fresh water is facing challenges such as climate changes, natural disasters, drought, salinity invasion, flood which can pollute drinking water supplies.
The Directorate of Water Resources said that it will submit a proposal on a decree of safe water to the government as well as submit its national strategy on safe water supply and environment sanitation in rural areas to 2030 with the vision to 2045.
Moreover, the Directorate will petition the continuance of credit program for safe water and environment sanitation and expansion of the program to more recipients.
