World Bank Approves $200M Credit for Vietnam to Improve Rural Sanitation

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Nov. 12 approved a $200-million credit line for rural sanitation and water supply program in Vietnam, expecting to benefit more than five million inhabitants. The funding with 25 years to maturity and five years of grace aims to improve hygiene behavior, increase and sustain access to rural sanitation and water supply in rural areas. The amount, which will come from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s fund for the poorest countries, will support the Results-based Scaling up Rural Sanitation and Water Supply Program. This program is the third World Bank-funded results-based program in Vietnam. It seeks to provide better water supply to 255,000 households and improve sanitation and water supply facilities at 2,720 schools and clinics in 21 provinces in the northern mountains and Central Highlands regions. “Overall Vietnam has made progress in broadening water supply and sanitation coverage, but important regional differences remain,” said Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam. “In regions that lag behind, the lack of access to basic services, together with poor hygiene practices, leads to serious health issues, including high infection rates for diarrhea and parasitic diseases and stunting among ethnic minority children.” The program supports Vietnam’s National Target Program for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, as well as the country’s decade-long commitment to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, and the new Sustainable Development Goals. (www.worldbank.org Nov 12)