In addition to focusing on mobilizing resources to promote economic development, supporting people to use clean water is also an important content in the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas to improve the quality of life and ensure social security. [caption id="attachment_604747" align="aligncenter" width="768"]
People in rural areas in Vinh Phuc province mainly use well water[/caption] With more than 42% of the population being ethnic minorities, ethnic work has been identified by the Party Committee and authorities in Tam Dao district (Vinh Phuc) as one of the important political tasks to improve people's lives, contribute to strengthening the strength of national unity, stabilize political security and social order and safety in the locality, and help ethnic people feel secure and confident in the leadership of the Party and State. In recent years, Tam Dao district has implemented many specific policies to support ethnic minorities and mountainous areas, including a program to support solving the shortage of domestic water. Specifically, from 2006 to present, this locality has invested in the construction of 25 concentrated domestic water supply works in Dao Tru, Yen Duong, Bo Ly, Minh Quang, Ho Son communes, Dai Dinh town, thereby contributing to improving the situation of domestic water shortage of the people. As one of the localities benefiting from the program, Minh Quang commune has invested in the construction of 3 concentrated domestic water supply works in Vuc Luu, Pho Coc and Xa Huong villages. In order to increase the number of households using water at the works, right from the beginning of construction, the commune government has directed the villages in the water supply cluster area to promote propaganda and mobilization through the loudspeaker system and integrate into village meetings so that people know and participate in registering for use. Since being put into operation, the works have made an important contribution to providing clean water, improving and enhancing the quality of life for local people. Not only in Minh Quang commune, from investing in centralized water supply works, the appearance of rural socio-economic infrastructure in localities with ethnic minorities in the province has gradually changed and improved. By the end of 2020, 100% of households had access to clean water for daily use. However, at present, many water supply works are no longer operating or have degraded and broken down after a period of operation, causing people in many localities with ethnic minorities to fall into a serious water shortage, especially in the dry season. [caption id="attachment_604729" align="aligncenter" width="768"]
After many years of operation, the centralized water supply project in Vuc Luu village (Minh Quang commune, Tam Dao district) can no longer meet the increasing demand of the people. Mr. Dao Hong Sau - Chairman of Minh Quang commune People's Committee - said that after many years of operation and use, the water supply projects in the commune have been degraded and their operating capacity can no longer meet actual demand. Minh Quang commune leaders expressed their hope that all levels and sectors will continue to pay attention to investing, maintaining, renovating, repairing pipes, filter tanks and increasing the capacity of existing clean water projects, and at the same time, investing in new water supply projects to promptly meet the demand for domestic water, ensuring the rate of households in the area using clean water according to regulations. Through screening, the rate of households in 11 communes and towns of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas in Vinh Phuc province, including Dao Tru, Bo Ly, Yen Duong, Minh Quang, Ho Son, Dai Dinh, Hop Chau (Tam Dao); Trung My (Binh Xuyen); Ngoc Thanh (Phuc Yen); Quang Yen (Song Lo); Quang Son (Lap Thach district) using clean water has only reached 10 - 12%. To increase the rate of households using clean water from centralized water supply works, currently, some localities such as Phuc Yen city are coordinating with Vinh Phuc Clean Water Joint Stock Company to propose a water supply project for villages in Ngoc Thanh commune. Or Tam Dao and Lap Thach districts are coordinating with a number of enterprises to survey and propose investment plans to build clean water supply works for local people. However, the difficulty and obstacle in the implementation process is that attracting and encouraging businesses to invest in rural and mountainous areas is very difficult because it is related to the operating mechanism and costs and benefits of investors. Due to the characteristics of communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the population is scattered and not concentrated, leading to difficulties in investing in projects, large investment capital, and low profits. Faced with this reality, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Vinh Phuc province has proposed that the Provincial People's Committee soon direct relevant departments and branches to pay attention to investing in communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with clean water treatment stations that meet the standards of the Ministry of Health so that households in ethnic minority and mountainous areas can use clean water or upgrade existing clean water treatment stations to supplement the supply to mountainous areas. For communes and towns that cannot build clean water stations, the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Vinh Phuc province proposed other support mechanisms so that people in mountainous areas can use clean water to ensure the target that by 2025, the rate of households using clean water will reach over 80%, such as providing credit loans from the Social Policy Bank to support each household or group of households in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to invest in clean water systems.
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