Australia Assists Vietnam in Improving Water Quality

Australia will continue to work with Vietnam to share experiences in dealing with integrated water management, including water quality control, and assist Vietnam to address challenges it faces in the sector, according to Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Hugh Borrowman. Hugh Borrowman and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on March 26 co-chaired a seminar on water quality control to discuss the status of water quality control in Vietnam and assessed the barriers and constraints to effective water quality control, including issues concerning institutional, financial and human resources. At the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister Dam stressed the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to improving water quality and emphasized the need to raise public awareness, enhance effective regulatory regimes and improve market-oriented incentives. “Australia has been an active partner for Vietnam in the water sector since 1993, and provided AUD122 million, including budget and technical support, through the National Target Program for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation from 2006 to 2015,” Borrowman said. Australia has provided water quality testing laboratories for 15 provinces, assisted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in developing and rolling out a water quality control action plan, and assisted Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Quang, An Giang and Tra Vinh provinces in developing a strategy to address rural household water quality issues. In the coming time, Australian experts will continue helping Vietnam in promoting water quality treatment technologies, enhancing governance in this area, and promoting private sector participation in providing water services to rural people. Vietnam’s access to hygienic water sources increased from 57% in 1990 to 84.5% last year and sanitation access also jumped from 37% to 62.5% in the period. (The Saigon Times Mar 27)