Hai Phong (VNA) - Current urban water supply systems boast a combined designed capacity of about 13.7 million cu.m per day, providing roughly 95% of the urban population with access to clean water, heard a seminar held in the northern port city of Hai Phong on December 24.
The Department of Construction Infrastructure under the Ministry of Construction hosted the event to review two national programmes on ensuring safe water supply and improving drainage management.
Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Infrastructure Tran Hoai Anh highlighted achievements from the two national programmes.
So far, 31 out of the former 63 cities and provinces have set up provincial steering committees for safe water supply. The nationwide average loss rate for clean water in urban areas has dropped to around 15%. Sector officials have strengthened management skills, and public awareness on protecting source water and conserving supplies has grown significantly.
Anh said the ministry will draft and finalise a Law on Water Supply and Drainage, plus guiding decrees, for submission to the Government and relevant ministries and agencies. The move will provide a stronger legal framework, clearly define responsibilities during enforcement, and tackle bottlenecks in investment and risk management. This will enable broader adoption of diversified funding models, greater socialisation of resources, and more efficient pooling of private capital for infrastructure. A national water supply information system and database will also be built to improve monitoring and crisis response.
The programmes were issued by the Prime Minister to counter surging water needs driven by rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, which have sharply elevated both volume and quality demands.
For the 2026–2030 period, they target safe, uninterrupted and sufficient water supply meeting regulatory standards on pressure and quality, proactive risk oversight from sources to end consumers, and greater system resilience against climate change, pollution and water-security threats
By 2030, goals include having at least 90% of centralised water systems and 40% of decentralised water networks developed, reviewed, and approved to follow safe supply plans. Loss rates in centralised networks are projected to fall below 15%, and below 20% in decentralised setups. Additionally, all centralised systems must have contingency plans in place to respond to supply disruptions and source contamination./.
