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30% urban population lacks clean water 04/04/2011


Clean water supply has not caught up with the urbanisation and as a result, only 70 percent of the nation’s urban population can have access to clean water, at 100 litre/person/day, an official has warned.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai made the warning at a conference on urban water supply held in Hanoi on March 29.

The country now has 755 urban areas and its urban population has been beyond 30 million, but most of those areas use common drainage systems for both rainwater and wastewater. Therefore, the rate of clean water loss in the systems now stands at 30-40 percent, he said.

Affected by the rapid socio-economic development and the climate change, Vietnam’s water resource reserves and quality has been degraded, he said.

The conference was attended by representatives of 11 Danish companies engaged in urban water supply and wastewater treatment.

In a few days to come, those representatives will meet Vietnamese agencies and businesses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to exchange experience and seek opportunities for cooperation, said Danish Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen.

The conference is part of the activities of the Vietnam-Denmark Water Days 2011 being held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from March 28 to April 1.

Nguồn tin:http://www.monre.gov.vn