Authorities of Vietnam’s northern province of Phu Tho will pour VND1.83 trillion ($87.56 million) into clean water supply projects from now until 2020. Of the sum, VND894.7 billion will be spent in the 2011-2015 period and the rest VND937 billion will be for the next five years. The projects will focus on building and upgrading tap water supply stations and expanding operations of existing ones in rural areas, aiming to better living conditions of local residents. The province aims to raise the rate of rural households using tap water to 100% or 1.22 million people by 2020, including 65% with clean water meeting the national standards. The Vietnamese government earlier set a target to help 90% of its population enjoy tap water by 2020 and 100% by 2025. (Nhan Dan – The People Oct 21 p7, Thoi Bao Kinh Te –Economic Times Oct 21 p3)
