Providing clean drinking water to small towns in rural Vietnam

Recent information shows that only 44% of rural households in Vietnam already have access to safe drinking water. Many households still rely on well water or collect rainwater for drinking, which can lead to health problems and account for the large number of hospitalizations for diarrhoea or associated diseases.

This project was carried out with the private water company DEWACO who have invested in a water treatment plant at Ho Phong in the extreme South of Vietnam to provide water to the local town and the nearby town of Gai Rai. Borouge closely supported DEWACO and the local pipe suppliers to help them understand the new PE1 00 material and ensure that they and the residents realized the major benefits from using a PE100 pipe system.

Vietnam has been growing fast over the last decade and has made considerable progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation, however there are many challenges left which can still benefit from support from external organisations.

Independent information shows that only 44% of rural households in Vietnam have ready access to safe drinking water. Many households still rely on well water or collect rainwater for drinking, which can lead health problems and add to the already large number of hospitalizations for diarrhoea or associated diseases.

During the past decade the Vietnamese Government have invested in a many new water projects and have set themselves a target to provide clean water nationwide by 2020. They have also encouraged a number of private water companies to invest in parts of the network in order to speed up development.

Partners in the Ho Phong project

Early in the "Water for the World" programme Borouge identified Vietnam as a country needing help and support to develop their infrastructure and have subsequently developed many contacts and partners within the country and carried out a number of successful projects. This particular project was carried out with the private water company DEWACO who have invested in a water treatment plant at Ho Phong in the extreme South of Vietnam to provide water to the local town and the nearby town of Gai Rai. Borouge closely supported DEWACO and the local PE pipe suppliers to help them understand the material and ensure that they realized the major benefits from using a PEIOO pipe system.

The Ho Phong water treatment plant will initially provide 2,500 m3 per day of treated ground water for the network and later in Phase II of the project the output will be doubled to 5,000 m3 per day. The main 315mm PE supply main runs approximately 14 km along the main highway linking the treatment plant and the two towns of Ho Phong and Gai Rai.

The benefits for the DEWACO

The main pipe was butt welded and the lightness and flexibility of the pipe meant that it could then be easily installed with a minimum of fittings in relatively narrow trenches. This simplified the construction especially in congested areas close to the centre of the villages.

During the installation of the pipes Mr. Day one of the DEWACO engineers said:

Mr. Day — DEWACO engineer

From the 315mm main a number of branches take the water directly to the 8,000 homes in the two towns. This clean water supply will replace the current systems of wells and rain water collection tubs that the families have been using improving the health and welfare of this area.

The benefits to the residents

Local residents will benefit from the supply of clean water directly into their homes for the first time instead of using well water or harvested rainwater. Naturally they are concerned about the future cost of water but they remain enthusiastic about their new water supply.

One elderly woman remarked:

Local resident

• For more information on this project contact: info@borouge.com

• For more information on Borouge PE100 visit: www.borouge.com