The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development started a $50-million clean water and environmental sanitation project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the first time in the central region on Nov 17. The project, that ADB financed $45 million, will be implemented within eight years until 2017, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said late Nov 17. The project will build 24 concentrated water supply systems in six central coastal provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam and Binh Dinh, benefiting around 350,000 locals. The project is part of a national strategy on supplying clean water in rural areas with an aim to improve living conditions of locals. Vietnam targets to help all of its rural population gain access to clean water by 2020, compared to the current rate of 40%. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will lend $1 billion to water supply and drainage projects in Vietnam in the 2010-2020 period. (Vietnamplus.vn Nov 17, Kinh Te Viet Nam & The Gioi – Vietnam & World Economy Nov 18 p4)
