Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in Binh Duong province

Industry sector of Binh Duong is relatively well developed, however, it has also triggered major pressures on environmental pollution, especially water pollution which has come to alert. Severely affected by this situation are households in rural areas, as they have less favorable conditions to access clean water and they are less likely to invest in pollution treatment facilities for their living and production which resulting in many health effects.

Since RWSS was implemented, the credit program has been welcome and supported by people in rural areas. Households were given loans to invest in construction projects such as clean water wells drilling, construction of water tank etc,. Previously many households in Thuan An, Ben Cat, Lai Thieu towns had drilled wells but managed to reach shallow water resources only and get the water with manual pumps, thus, the water quality is very poor and polluted. At present, with the preferential loans of VBSP they are affordable to construct electric pump wells till deep water resources. This clean water resource is vital to  people’s living and life. In some areas where public water supply is available, households who were given loans had installed plumbing up to home, this used to be unable for them because of money shortage to carry out construction. As the result, many public water supply works now can utilize its full capacity. For other households who have no standard latrine, this RWSS loan have also help them to improve or rebuild the work. Those households who have breeding farms would receive additional capital support to construct the biogas work, to ensure hygienic and free from pollution conditions for the breeding facilities.      

RWSS credit programs was developed to all seven districts and townships of Binh Duong, outstanding loans reached VND 148 billion with 18,312 households borrowers. Loans from the program have been used to build more than 27 thousand works, including 13,817 clean water works and nearly 14 thousand sanitation works. In addition, credit quality of the program is also recorded to be high. It has provided great contribution to changing the face of rural Binh Duong, particularly improving living standards and healthiness of people. It can be said that RWSS credit programs in Binh Duong has been very successful and effective.

Like other credit programs of VBSP, the local People Committee is authorized to examine and decide eligible borrwers, loan size, as well as loan purpose and its utilization. By this way, from the first step, i.e voting for eligible households borrowers, til the step of construction supervision, examination, acceptance and operation, local committee always accompanies throughout the process. This is the determinant factor for a tight and systematic credit fund management.

The process and procedures of the RWSS credit progam operated by Binh Duong VBSP Branch can be said to be successful in representing democratic and transparence, as well as socialization from grassroot level .

The RWSS credit progam not only contributed in changing the face of Binh Duong rural areas, but also raising the living standard for people, ensuring them with a safe and pure environment for better health. Coming to 2010, VBSP cooperates with other relevant agencies and institutions to get over shortcomings, push up implementation of RWSS lending program which gives contribution in building prosprerity and civilization for the rural areas.

Dong Du