Report: Dong Lam Hamlet Safe Water System

Piped water system for village in Central Vietnam

The water system produces potable water of high quality in accordance with national water quality standards. The residents no longer have to travel long distances to fetch water, buy water at high prices, or use contaminated water due to primitive filtration methods. The number of water-borne diseases such as trachoma, cholera, typhoid, viral gastroenteritis, and diarrhoea—which may kill young children—will be reduced. Time will be saved, which will give children more time to study and play, and allow adults to generate additional income or spend time with their family.

Residents now pay VND 2,000 (around USD 0.12) for one cubic meter of clean water, as opposed to VND 50,000 (around USD 3.20) when buying from vendors. These water fees cover the water manager’s salary, electricity consumption, and system maintenance and development.

All maintenance and operating costs, including salaries of water managers, is covered by user fees.

The project is financially self-sustaining; all operations and maintenance are covered by user fees, typically about $8 per year per family. Two local water managers have been hired and trained by EMW to collect water fess and carry out all required O&M.

To reinforce the water program and enhance the benefits from clean water systems, EMW will, in the future:
- Provide educational activities such as showing films or holding training sessions on safe water use to raise residents’ understanding and awareness of the importance of clean water and hygiene.
- Provide more information about the EMW Water Programme to beneficiaries to ensure that there are no misperceptions about all parties’ responsibilities before the start of the project, and to ensure full commitment to contributing and connecting to the system.
- Make sure the management team selected by the local authorities has the trust and support of the beneficiaries, to avoid beneficiaries dropping out due to mistrust.
- Conduct more training workshops for water managers, so that they can learn and exchange experiences on better practices for managing and maintaining water systems, and help one another in solving problems.