The Khmer community in Luong Nghia commune in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang is having a better life, with clean water and hygienic toilet facilities thanks to an aid project funded by the Australia Government.

A group of Australia Government Scholarship alumni carried the 300-million-VND (14,000 USD) project in the commune, which has suffered from increasing pollution and salt water intrusion due to climate change.

Do Van Dinh from the Office of the provincial Party Committee, head of the project board, said Luong Nghia commune, home to a large number of Khmer people, is among disadvantaged areas in the province. Local residents rely on river water for daily use, and at the same time, use nearby rivers and canals as their toilets.

The project sought to change local practice by providing them with water containers and filter systems to turn rain water into the main source of clean water for their daily use.

Project workers also helped build hygienic toilets for a number of local households and held talks, training sessions and workshops to raise local residents’ awareness of protecting the environment.

Danh Hung from the hamlet 10 in Luong Nghia commune is among 20 families who benefited from the project. He said now that with the rain water container and the filter, his family has clean water for cooking and drinking, in stead of using water from the local river or drilled well.-VNA