Clean water reaches the Khmer ethnic minority

As of March, 31st, 2010, the total outstanding loans of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) program of VBSP was 5.477 billions. As for first quarter- 2010 has helped 16.896 lending households to build 27.869  Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) constructions, raising the built constructions from the initial program until now up to 715.869 ones with 1.116 households remaining outstanding loan.

 VBSP loans has helped ethnic minorities to have safe water for living

According to evaluation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Center of Nation, the Mekong River Delta has plentiful water source. However, from this time to the beginning of rainy season, the flows are dried up on waterways, drought and salinity are pervading in interior fields, while underground water for living is becoming very scarce. There are more than 20 percent of natural land area in this region affected by salinity, drought; hence, the number of people have safe water for living
At present, Sóc Trăng province has more than 400.000 people of Khmer ethnic minority, making up more than 30 percent of its population. With capitals from the National target Program, Program No.134, Program No.135, Decision No. 62 on preferential loan support to build safe water construction etc. Until now, Soc Trang province has formulated  safe water supplying system extending to its area with more than 120 stations, concentrated water supplying systems, over 70.000 drilling-wells hand pump…, helped 210.000 rural households having safe water for their living. Many coastal areas meet with difficulty of  running water such as remote areas of Long Phú district, Trần Đề district, , Mỹ Xuyên district, Mỹ Tú district, fresh water has come.

As one of difficult and populous Khmer ethnic communes of Mỹ Tú district,Thuận Hưng has the concentrated water supplying station  with output capacity is 40m3/hour, supplying over 1,000 households in its commune. While before taking the program No.134, only over 370 households having safe water from water supplying system. The same as      above, at Phú Tân commune, Mỹ Tú district also has the concentrated water supplying system that helps over 100 poor Khmer households to have safe water for living. As for Viên Bình and Viên An communes at Trần Đề district, having great investment  in their concentrated water supplying stations that helps more than 65 percent of households to approach the safe water program in each communes. 

According to Mr. Tô Ngọc Tuấn -  the Deputy  Manager of Co-operative and Rural Development Branch of Sóc Trăng province, at present, the safe water supporting program for Khmer ethnic following the Decision No. 134 has been implemented at all difficult communes of Soc Trang province. The effect of this program has brought to Khmer people significant benefit. In 2010, Soc Trang province  has had plan of spending VND 60 billions to bring running water to more than 20.000 poor Khmer households.  With this amount of money, Soc Trang province intends to solve  basically the lack of running water for poor households at remote areas by building the concentrated water constructions, drilling-wells, equipping water jugs, water containers for people.

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