Leading experts from Vietnam and Germany gathered at a meeting in Hanoi on May 23 to share experiences in developing public-private partnerships (PPPs) in water sector and environmental service in the Southeast Asian nation. The event, co-held by the National Economics University of Vietnam and the German Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management, focused on water supply, solid waste and wastewater treatment. Prof. Dr. Carsten Haneke from Germany’s Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences introduced the country’s policies on PPP management in the water sector and shared its experiences in implementing this model effectively. Participants analyzed research on private investment in Vietnam’s environmental service, together with the difficulties Vietnam has faced collecting taxes and fees for wastewater, and global experience in PPPs in clean water and urban sanitation. They agreed that to implement the PPP model effectively, Vietnam needs to complete policies and a legal framework on PPP, pilot PPP projects, and call for further international support to develop PPP programs. Ho Cong Hoa, a representative from the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that PPPs are a good choice for Vietnam’s environmental infrastructure development as in the 2014-2025 period, Vietnam may lack about VND250 trillion to treat wastewater and solid waste and only 34% of sewage in industrial parks is dealt with. Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that Vietnam has 15,000 people suffering from cancer each year. The main reason for this is the polluted living environment. (vietnamplus.vn May 23)
