Clean water for every home - Towards safe and sustainable water supply

In the context of increasingly complex climate change, Tay Ninh province is making efforts to synchronously deploy many solutions to ensure clean water supply for people, especially in rural areas. With the determination to realize the goal of having at least 75% of rural households using clean water by 2025, all levels, sectors and localities have been urgently taking action, gradually modernizing infrastructure, socializing investment and improving the efficiency of management and operation of water supply works.

The province currently has 1,204 centralized water supply works in rural areas.

Efforts to provide domestic water for people

Currently, the province has 1,204 centralized water supply projects in rural areas. Of these, Long An (before the merger) had 1,125 projects with a rate of households using clean water of 82.68%; Tay Ninh (before the merger) had 79 projects with a rate of clean water use of about 72%. After the merger, the province set a target of increasing the rate of households using clean water to at least 75% by 2025.

On this basis, Tay Ninh province has issued many plans and directives to ensure safe water supply. Specifically, Plan No. 4064/KH-UBND, dated December 12, 2023 on ensuring safe water supply in rural areas for the period 2024-2028, issued a list of 47 projects requiring safe water supply plans. The province has also implemented dozens of projects to upgrade and renovate inter-commune water supply works, gradually eliminating small, scattered, and inefficient water supply stations.

Notably, more than 95% of water supply stations in the province use underground water sources, which are less affected by saltwater intrusion. However, in the dry season, many areas such as Tan Bien, Tan Chau, Ben Cau, Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, Tan Tru, etc. still lack water locally due to unstable water quality. Faced with this situation, the province has implemented many solutions such as: transporting clean water to collection points, supporting people to build rainwater tanks, equipping water filters, expanding water supply pipelines, and installing equipment at stations to cope with the drought season.

In the 2021-2025 period, Long An province (old) invested 250 billion VND from the lottery to build and upgrade 34 water supply works, of which 31 works have been completed. During the same period, Tay Ninh province (old) also invested 61.9 billion VND to upgrade 8 water supply works. In 2025, the province plans to invest in 10 more works (including 8 transitional and 2 newly built). Notably, in the 2026-2030 period, Tay Ninh has included 12 works with a total capital of nearly 849 billion VND in the medium-term public investment plan, demonstrating its determination to fundamentally and systematically improve water supply infrastructure.

Along with public investment, the province also actively calls for socialization with a series of large projects such as: Phu My Vinh Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company expands ^Hoa Khanh Tay Water Plant to 80,000m3/day; Biwase - Long An increases water treatment capacity at Nhi Thanh to ^60,000m3 /day; Aqua One invests in Vam Co Dong River surface water plant with capacity up to ^500,000m3 /day; Thanh Long Group deploys clean water plant in Duc Hoa, capacity ^300,000m3 /day. These are all large-scale projects, using stable surface water sources, contributing to reducing pressure on groundwater exploitation and improving the quality of clean water supplied to people.

In general, water supply programs have contributed to fundamentally solving the shortage of domestic water, especially in "hot spots" such as Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, Tan Chau, Tan Bien. Water supply systems in localities have gradually been operated stably, and water quality has been more strictly controlled.

Propaganda and raising public awareness are also emphasized. People gradually change their usage habits, know how to preserve water resources, and proactively equip themselves with water filters and tanks. Policies to support clean water prices and support the installation of household water treatment equipment also create conditions for people to access clean water more easily.

Strive for 100% of rural people to use clean water by 2045

Construction of pipelines, bringing clean water to remote communes

Despite many positive results, the rural water supply situation in Tay Ninh still faces many difficulties. Many small-scale water supply projects (under 300 households) account for a high proportion, making it difficult to maintain and operate effectively. Most projects managed by the community or the commune People's Committee lack expertise and maintenance funds, so their operations are not sustainable.

Water quality at some stations has deteriorated because the works have been in use for more than 15 years and the treatment technology is outdated. The community management model is unprofessional, and the inspection, maintenance and monitoring of water quality are still loose. In addition, the current clean water price frame (maximum 11,000 VND/m3) is not attractive enough for investors due to high investment costs, large water supply areas and poor technical infrastructure. In some places, water distribution goes through many intermediaries, increasing retail prices, causing disadvantages for consumers.

In addition, the planning of water supply areas has not been implemented, causing confusion in investment work. Many communes have not included land planning for water supply construction in the medium-term public investment plan, lacking a legal basis for implementation.

According to information from the Tay Ninh Province Irrigation and Clean Water Center, in order to gradually improve the clean water supply system, ensure safe, sustainable water supply and adapt to climate change, the province focuses on a number of key solutions such as reviewing and reclassifying all water supply infrastructure assets; updating the index set, statistics and evaluating the effectiveness of works; improving the effectiveness of water quality monitoring, strengthening sanctions against water supply units that do not meet standards; promptly promulgating the Tay Ninh Province water supply planning area, integrating indicators on quality of life, community health, supporting poor households and ethnic minority households to access clean water; prioritizing the exploitation of surface water instead of groundwater.

Tay Ninh aims to increase the rate of clean water usage in the whole province to at least 75% by 2025.

At the same time, continue to implement the public investment plan for the period 2026-2030, focusing on large-scale, inter-district projects; mobilize international resources and technical support from foreign organizations to build projects to respond to drought and salinity; treat brackish water and salt water into fresh water; store and use rainwater effectively. At the same time, increase the application of advanced water treatment technology, develop household water treatment models, exploit renewable energy in water treatment and supply, continue to create conditions to attract businesses to invest in large-scale water supply projects; review and strictly handle investors who do not comply with water supply service commitments; promote propaganda to change clean water use behavior; effectively implement programs and policies to support water prices and household water treatment equipment according to the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council.

Clean water is not only an essential need but also a key factor in improving the quality of life, protecting health, and contributing to promoting rural socio -economic development. The province's continuous efforts in ensuring clean water supply for people are clear evidence of the determination towards a sustainable development future, leaving no one behind.

With the synchronous participation of the entire political system and the support of the community and businesses, the goal of ensuring 100% of rural people have access to clean water by 2045 according to the National Strategy is completely feasible./.

Clean water is not only an essential need but also a key factor in improving the quality of life, protecting health, and contributing to promoting rural socio-economic development. The province's continuous efforts in ensuring clean water supply for people are clear evidence of the determination towards a sustainable development future, leaving no one behind."

Bui Tung

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nuoc-sach-cho-moi-nha-huong-toi-cap-nuoc-an-toan-ben-vung-a199332.html