DANIDA sponsors seminar on water supply in Vietnam

The Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) has recently co-sponsored an international seminar on water supply, drainage and urban sanitation organized by Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association and the Ministry of Construction in Ho Chi Mihn City on October 16-17.
     The other sponsor of the two-day seminar was the Asian Development Bank.
     “We believe great potential exists for building partnerships between government and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and universities and research institutions,” said Jan Moller Hansen, counsellor of the Royal Danish Embassy. “Together, we can develop water and sanitation services that are more viable and of a higher standard.”
     According to Nguyen Tan Van, Vice Minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction, the efficiency and quality of water supply, drainage and urban sanitation in Vietnam are very poor.
     “Problems in the sector stem from various causes – project development without a master plan, weak management and co-ordination between capital investors and operation management and a shortage of financing resources,” added Van, saying that the ministry was working on a project to reform the country’s water supply sector.
     At present, the urban water supply system serves only 60 percent of the urban population with average consumption 80 litres per person per day. Water losses are still too high, at 35 per cent on average, and the quality of treated water is not up to standard.

Source: Viet Nam News <http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn>

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *