Japanese company helps Vinh Long cope with salinity

Vinh Long (VNA) – Chairman of the People’s Committee of Vinh Long province Tran Hoang Tuu met with President of Kyowakiden Vietnam Co., Ltd. Yoshifumi Onoue on May 29 to discuss tackling saltwater intrusion.

At the meeting, Onoue said salinity hampers production of drinking water in Vinh Long.

He proposed the Mekong Delta province to install a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system at its water treatment plants to supply water for local use.

The system will allow inorganic solids, such as salts, to be removed from water, he said, adding that thanks to RO, water treatment plants can operate at a cost of about 4,000 – 6,500 VND per cubic metre when salinity is up to 9 parts per thousand.

Chairman Tuu said that climate change caused drought and saltwater intrusion in the province last year, leading to economic losses of approximately 300 billion VND (more than 13 million USD).

Tuu said the RO can be an effective, low-cost solution for the province’s problems. He directed the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vinh Long Water Supply SJC and the local Centre for Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation to work with Kyowakiden Vietnam to pilot the RO system.

He also asked the Japanese company to continue studying a feasible treatment solution for water used in industry.

Onoue pledged to attempt to reduce costs and help the province seek funding from the Japanese government in its water treatment projects.-VNA