WB to Lend $160M to Water Management Proj in Vietnam Mekong Delta

The World Bank (WB) has approved a $160-million loan to a water resources management project in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, the Doanh Nhan Vietnam Toan Cau newspaper reported June 9. The project is aimed to protect and boost the use of water resources for agriculture production, supply clean water and contribute to tackling impacts of climate change. The loan will have a term of 35 years, with a grace period of ten years, it added. Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has also approved another $210-million project on irrigation management for rural development in the Mekong Delta, in which Vietnam will borrow over $160 million worth of ODA from the global bank. The WB pledged around $2.6 billion in ODA for Vietnam this year and also announced to finance over $6 billion for the Southeast Asian country in the 2011-2013 fiscal years. (dvt.vn June 8, gafin.vn June 8)