Access to clean water has been an issue for people living in rural areas outside the capital for years, but that may soon change.
As it stands, safe water is yet to be commonplace in some rural communities. In My Duc District, for example, only 31.5% of residents have access to clean water, according to VietnamPlus. According to a report by Hanoi’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, 52% of those living in all rural areas outside Hanoi – 2.23 million people – were able to access clean water by May this year.
Expansion projects are currently being carried out and, by the end of 2018, a further 61,000 households are expected to have clean water in their homes. Looking further ahead, the government has approved 34 more projects, which will provide water to an additional 2.48 million people.
Consisting of 17 districts and Son Tay Town, Hanoi’s rural area has a total population of 4.3 million people. If all projects are completed on time, clean water will be available to 94% of people in the area, with a long-term aim of water being available to all in Hanoi’s rural areas by 2020, reports Tien Phong.
According to the World Health Organization, 25 years ago only 20% of Vietnamese people had access to clean water, but a robust 15-year commitment has helped Vietnam exceed the Millennium Development Goal target for water and sanitation.
[Photo via Global Education]
