According to director of the center, Pham Duc Nam, the program would require an investment of VND190 billion to increase the existing number of people using clean water in Tay Nguyen from 52 to 58%.
The program also plans to raise the number of households having toilets from 39 to 44%.
Mr. Nam said the water supply project was looking for investments from private and other economic sectors, and investors would receive incentives such as tax reduction and loans with preferential interest rates.
The center would also mobilize financial support from international sponsors as credit loans and non-refundable funds, he said. Began in 1998, the program on clean water and rural environmental hygiene has helped more than 1.5 million people in Tay Nguyen provinces access clean water.
The seven-year program, which has built 12,000 clean water supply projects, 14,500 toilets and 9,400 hygienic farms, has so far cost about USD 21.6 million. Besides State budget, international aid, and local mobilization, the program has received support from different organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, the Danish International Development Agency (DIDA), and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
A 2002 project, funded by JICA, has helped Vietnam exploit underground water resources to supply water to four provinces in Tay Nguyen.
The second phase of the project, expecting non-refundable funds of USD 15 million from the Japanese Government, once approved, will supply water to 13 more communes in the four provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dac Lac and Dac Nong.
Despite these efforts, Mr. Nam admitted that the program was still facing many challenges and limitations. Loose management of water resources had resulted in polluted water being supplied, and over exploitation had exhausted underground water resources, adversely impacting water supply schemes for the rural population.
Meager State budget which provides only 20-25% of the total investment capital, on average for a water supply project, and limited finances from local mobilization, had also hindered the program, he said.
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