Implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas (EMMA) in the province, in addition to focusing on mobilizing resources to promote economic development, supporting people to use clean water is also an important content in the program to improve the quality of life and ensure social security.

After many years of operation, the centralized water supply project in Vuc Luu village (Minh Quang commune, Tam Dao) can no longer meet the increasing demand of the people.

With more than 42% of the population being ethnic minorities in the province, ethnic work is identified by the Party Committee and authorities in Tam Dao district as one of the important political tasks to improve people's lives, contribute to consolidating the strength of national unity, stabilizing political security and social order and safety in the locality, helping ethnic minorities feel secure and confident in the leadership of the Party and State.

In recent years, the district has implemented many specific policies to support ethnic minorities and mountainous people, including a program to support solving the shortage of domestic water.

Specifically, from 2006 to present, the district has invested in building 25 centralized domestic water supply works in Dao Tru, Yen Duong, Bo Ly, Minh Quang, Ho Son communes, and Dai Dinh town, thereby contributing to improving the situation of domestic water shortage of the people.

As one of the localities benefiting from the program, Minh Quang commune has invested in building 3 centralized domestic water supply works in the villages of Vuc Luu, Pho Coc and Xa Huong.

Currently, these projects are managed and put into operation by Minh Quang Commune People's Committee.

To increase the number of households using water at the projects, right from the beginning of construction, the commune government directed the villages in the water supply cluster area to step up propaganda and mobilization work through the loudspeaker system and integrate it into village meetings so that people know and participate in registering for use.

Since being put into operation, the projects have made an important contribution to providing clean water, improving and enhancing the quality of life for local people.

Not only Minh Quang commune, from the investment in centralized water supply works, the appearance of rural socio-economic infrastructure in localities with ethnic minorities in the province has gradually changed and improved. By the end of 2020, 100% of households have access to clean water.

However, currently, many water supply works are no longer operating or have degraded and broken down after a period of operation, causing people in many ethnic minority areas to fall into a serious water shortage, especially in the dry season.

Comrade Dao Hong Sau, Chairman of Minh Quang Commune People's Committee shared: After many years of exploitation and use, currently, water supply works in the commune have been degraded, and operating capacity no longer meets actual needs.

The commune government and people in the villages hope that all levels and sectors will continue to pay attention to investing, maintaining, renovating, repairing pipes, filter tanks and increasing the capacity of existing clean water works, at the same time, investing in new water supply works to promptly serve the domestic water needs, ensuring the proportion of households in the area using clean water according to regulations.

Through screening, the rate of households in 11 communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas including Dao Tru, Bo Ly, Yen Duong, Minh Quang, Ho Son, Dai Dinh, Hop Chau (Tam Dao); Trung My (Binh Xuyen); Ngoc Thanh (Phuc Yen); Quang Yen (Song Lo); Quang Son (Lap Thach district) using clean water is only 10% - 12%.

To increase the percentage of households using clean water from centralized water supply works, currently, some localities such as Phuc Yen city are coordinating with Vinh Phuc Clean Water Joint Stock Company to propose a water supply project for villages in Ngoc Thanh commune; Tam Dao and Lap Thach districts are coordinating with some enterprises to survey and propose investment plans to build clean water supply works for local people.

However, the difficulty and obstacle in the implementation process is that attracting and encouraging enterprises to invest in rural and mountainous areas is very difficult because it is related to the operating mechanism and costs and benefits of investors.

Due to the characteristics of the large communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, the population is scattered and not concentrated, leading to difficulties in investing in projects, large investment capital, and low profits.

Faced with this reality, the Provincial Ethnic Committee recommends that the Provincial People's Committee soon direct relevant departments and branches to pay attention to investing in communes and towns in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with clean water treatment stations that meet the standards of the Ministry of Health so that ethnic minority and mountainous households can use clean water or upgrade existing clean water treatment stations to supplement supply to mountainous areas.

For communes and towns that cannot build clean water stations, it is recommended that there be other support mechanisms so that people in mountainous areas can use clean water to ensure that by 2025, the rate of households using clean water reaches over 80%, such as providing credit loans from the Social Policy Bank to support each household or group of households in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to invest in clean water systems.

Article and photos: Luu Nhung