ADB Helps Vietnam Improve Water Supply and Sanitation in Towns

ADB Helps Vietnam Improve Water Supply and Sanitation in Towns

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will prepare a project to improve water supply and sanitation in areas of the southern central region of Vietnam through a technical assistance (TA) grant approved for US$950,000.

The planned project will include new water supply systems, rehabilitation and further extensions of existing systems, and community-based water supply systems where appropriate. Sanitation improvements will comprise drainage, sewage disposal, and solid waste management. The TA, from the Japan Special Fund, financed by the Government of Japan, will prepare a feasibility study and design for the project, which would improve water supply and sanitation in 10-20 small and medium towns.

The region is one of the poorest areas of Vietnam, with poverty levels higher than the national average. Inadequate water supply and sanitation is one of the most pressing issues facing the area’s small and medium-sized towns. Most towns have either inadequate or no water supply system at all, with a maximum service coverage of 20 per cent. A large proportion of the population uses water from contaminated or saline wells and surface sources. Many residents must resort to buying water for drinking and cooking from vendors or from residents connected to public water supplies at extremely high prices, often 5-20 times existing tariffs for public water supply.

The Government will contribute $250,000 equivalent toward the TA’s total cost of $1.2 million. The Ministry of Construction is the executing agency for the TA, which will be carried out over eight months to October 2005.

ADB has actively assisted Vietnam’s urban and water supply and sanitation sectors since 1993, with five loans approved totaling US$304 million equivalent and several TA grants.

• Lan Anh