VNRC helps people access clean water

Only 11.7 percent of the people in rural areas have access to tap water, 33.1 percent use well-water and the other 50 percent use water from other sources.

The figure was announced by the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC) at a meeting to respond to the World Water Day held on March 22 in phu Tho province.

According to the announcement, only 47 percent of the people employ measures for water treatment before use while 80 percent of them do not have a standard toilet. This, together with people’s unhygienic habits, is the cause of digestive diseases like cholera, dysentery and eye-related diseases. Diarrhoea and bacteria contamination of the respiratory system are the two major causes for fatalities children under-five.

VNRC vice chairman Phung Van Hoan said the meeting is aimed at rasing public awareness of the need to preserve the ecosystem and protect people’s health, and measures to improve the quality of water, and reduce pollution.

In recent year, the VNRC have undertaken many projects to help people nationawide access running water and hygienic toilets, in an effort to reduce the spread  of epidemics.

In Phu Tho, the society has provided an automatic water-pumping system to 100 households in Tan Son district and a water-filtering system and standard toilet for Ngoc Dong Primary school in Yen lap district.

The VNRC has also built automatic water-pumping systems to other northern moutain provinces and given water-filtering pots and decontamination chemicals to people in the central region which was affected by typhoons Ketsana and Minirae.