Dak Toa irrigation dam in Kon Tum (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - About 6.8 million Vietnamese people will get benefits from the Vietnam Dam Rehabilitation and Safety Improvement Project with the credit support worth 415 million USD from the International Development Association, approved by the World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Director on December 16.
Under the project, upgrades will be made to 450 irrigation dams which have been prioritised based on their ages and degraded condition. This will help 2.7 million people who rely on the dams for agriculture production, aquaculture and water supply as well as 4.1 million people and economic assets downstream that are at risk in the event of a dam failure.
“We are pleased to support the Government’s dam safety programme with financing for this critical rehabilitation project. This project will help protect the safety and livelihoods of 6.8 million people who rely on these dams”, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa said in a WB press release.
In addition to the dam rehabilitation, the project will endorse the Vietnamese Government to implement a sustainable framework for ensuring dam safety across the portfolio of dams. This includes the establishment of technical and regulatory standards, codes, guidelines and norms applied to the dams to ensure that the overall dam safety is more standardised, transparent and accountable.-VNA
