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Leaking water reticulation to be upgraded in ministry proposal
A proposal by the Ministry of Construction aims to reduce leakage from water distribution networks across the nation, targeting a cut in water loss that could save the country about 1.3 million cubic metre of water each day.
The proposed project, worth VND9.4 trillion (US$488.8 million), aims to cut the water loss rate from 30 per cent to 15 per cent by 2025. Funding for the project is expected to come from the State budget, official development assistance and other sources.
It will focus on upgrading national water supply networks, improving the networks management and raising public awareness on the importance of efficient water use.
Director of the Construction Ministry's Water Supply and Sewerage Department, Nguyen Phi Tong, said water loss was mainly caused by leaks in pipe networks, some of which have been in use for more than 30 years and now need repairs and upgrades.
"The amount of water loss caused by leakage from pipe networks accounts for nearly 20 per cent of total water loss," said Tong.
"Therefore, the project will mainly focus on upgrading the water supply network by replacing water pipes and investing in modern devices to identify pipe sections that are leaking for timely repairs, particularly in large cities such as Ha Noi and HCM City where the water loss rate reaches nearly 40 per cent."
Tong said wastefulness caused by water users is another key factor leading to the high rate of water loss.
"It is clear that many people do not pay attention to saving water and use water in a wasteful way, while people in other areas find it hard to get access to clean water," he said.
"That's why raising public awareness on the issue is an important part of the project."
Tong said raising water fees was also considered an effective measure to encourage people to save water while helping to secure more funds for water supply companies to invest in maintaining pipe networks.
"Average water prices in Viet Nam, at about VND3,500 ($1.75) per cubic metre, are still much lower than in other countries," he said.
However, poor public awareness on the issue and leaky pipes were only some problems. Tong said weak management, such as inefficient water fee collection systems, a lack of equipment and capacity to manage the pipe network and improper repair and maintenance, were also aggravating situation.
"Water companies should regularly check their pipe network to ensure prompt repairs and the network's efficient operation," said Tong.
Chairman of the Viet Nam Water Supply and Sewerage Association Nguyen Ton said many construction projects were carried out without adequate planning, with workers sometimes inadvertently damaging and breaking pipelines and causing large losses of water.
"People stealing water by drilling directly into water pipelines is also another widespread problem," said Ton.
"This type of illegal activity damages the network of pipelines and causes leaks."
| Clarification
In the story "Poverty reduction plan success" published in Viet Nam News on April 13, we mentioned seven foreign donors that donated a combined US$450 million to support the second phase of the Government's Poverty Reduction Programme (Programme 135). The donors included the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in Viet Nam, which committed to providing the programme with a US$42 million support package.
The Editor | The senior urban development specialist from the Asian Development Bank in Viet Nam, Hubert Jenny, said the high rate of water loss revealed problems relating to the inefficient operation of water supply companies, a lack of financial resources, poor management and old pipelines in need of upgrades.
"Water companies lack finances to resolve their problems, including challenges related to operations, maintenance and investment," said Jenny.
"They often focus on the expansion of the network and not on repairing the existing pipelines. Many pipe systems in big cities like Ha Noi and HCM City have been in use for as long as hundreds of years."
However, Jenny said the main problem was not only the pipelines but the way they are installed, with contractors in charge of installation requiring additional training to carry out their work more effectively.
"If we invest in new pipelines but fail to install them in a proper way, then the water loss problem will continue," he said.
"Training workshops should be organised to provide water companies with methodologies, techniques and capacity building to help improve their efficiency and water companies themselves should develop partnerships to help each other," he said.
Jenny urged the construction ministry to mobilise funding and expertise from the private sector to help companies solve the problem.
The project is expected to be approved by the Prime Minister in June and will be implemented later this year.
Tong said that if the project is effective in reducing the rate of water loss to under 15 per cent by 2025, water companies could save as much as VND8 trillion ($416 million) in saved water.
Viet Nam has 68 water suppliers with a total capacity of almost 6 million cubic metre per day.
Khanh Van - Khanh Khoa
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