Nearly 160,000 residents of eight Hồng (Red) River Delta provinces benefited from a programme for rural water supply and sanitation during the past four years.— Photo tapchicongsan.org.vn

HÀ NỘI — Nearly 160,000 residents of eight Hồng (Red) River Delta provinces benefited from a programme for rural water supply and sanitation during the past four years.

The information was reported by Nguyễn Xuân Tùng, deputy director of the National Centre for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, at a conference held this week in Hà Nội by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the World Bank.

A total of 48 water supply projects were set up to provide clean water for more than 132,700 households. The projects were managed well, providing sufficient clean water reaching regulated norms for residents’ daily lives, said Tùng.

By the 2019 end of the programme, as many as 60 water supply projects will have been be completed, bringing clean water for more than 224,700 households.

In the 2013-16 period the fund disbursed more than VNĐ2.5 trillion (US$110.2 million), making up more than 60 per cent of the programme’s total. This year more than VNĐ540 billion ($23.8 million) will be used, making up more than 13 per cent of the programme’s total fund.

However, several provinces implemented the programme slowly and might not complete the scheduled plan, and need stronger instruction from provincial authorities, he said.

Đỗ Văn Thành, head of the Rural Water Supply Programme’s Management Board under the MARD, said most provinces followed the regulations and plans.

Several provinces and cities including Vĩnh Phúc, Thanh Hóa and Hưng Yên met difficulties in clearing the ground so the projects could be completed late, he said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoàng Văn Thắng said the programme for rural water supply and sanitation needed co-operation among different sectors and much remains to be done. He warned provincial authorities to pay more attention to proper use of the capital provided. — VNS