All the criteria of the Red River Delta Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project funded by the World Bank (WB) have either met or exceeded the plan, according to the project team leader Hoang Thi Hoa.

Hoa made the assessement at a meeting to review the first phase of the project, co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, and the WB in Hanoi on June 10.

She said the project has improved water supply and sanitation for households in the four targeted provinces of Hai Duong, Ninh Binh , Nam Dinh and Thai Binh.
It also ensured the results are sustainable in financial, technological, social and environmental terms, as well as contributed to reducing poverty in the beneficiary communities, Hoa added.

Over 310,000 households with 1.3 million people now have clean water. Of these, 87 percent of households have sanitary toilets, and 656 public toilets have been built.

The WB’s representative urged relevant agencies to carry out necessary maintenance every year with a view to maintaining the positive impacts the project has had.

Representatives from the four provinces highly valued the role and support of the project and exchanged experiences in the management of the project and recommended ideas to improve its efficiency.

MARD’s Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang said the success of the project is an important step forward in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal.-VNA