WATER DELIVERY IN NHA BE, VIETNAM

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A successful clean water delivery demonstration project was implemented in Phuoc Kien Commune, in the Nha Be District of Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The project was implemented over nine months from November 2004. By August 2005, select residents in the community began to receive clean water services through the project. 

1. Problems addressed

The project provided clean water to 107 poor households in four villages of Hamlet No. 5, within the commune. Phuoc Kien is known as a poor community, where the average income of a household is less than US$100 a month.

Various water sources are available, but they do not meet the community’s needs. Some facilities are too expensive for the urban poor and people use less water than they need. In the dry season, most households rely on tap water that is delivered by truck to roadside locations, from where individuals or private sector deliverers carry the water to people’s homes. The total cost of transported tap water is very high, even with a government subsidy, and it takes some time and organization to carry water to households. Rain water is also a main source of water, but it is seasonal and uncertain.

The project therefore sought to demonstrate an affordable way to deliver clean water to the urban poor, using locally derived mechanisms that would encourage a sense of community ownership. 

2. Activities

Significant community participation was a condition of the project. The key partners therefore represented local government agencies, community-based organizations (including women’s associations) and local businesses.

The project’s implementation was led by Pham Tran Hai, an alumnus of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and a resident of Nha Be District. He was supported by the Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Management Applications (SEA-UEMA) Project, which provided a grant of US$19,460 through the Canadian International Development Agency and AIT. The SEA-UEMA Project also offered guidance to implement the project.

The Phuoc Kien Commune People’s Committee facilitated overall implementation and operation of the project while the Nha Be District People’s Committee gave political support and guidance.

The Women’s Association of Hamlet No. 5 and the Phuoc Kien Commune Women’s Association contributed their input to the design of the system.

The 107 beneficiary households actively participated throughout implementation and paid US$856 (US$8 per household) to establish the clean water delivery system.

The project’s four aims were 1) to reduce the price of clean water delivered to homes from US$3.33 / m3 to between US$1.00 and $US1.33 / m3, 2) to increase people’s access to clean water services, 3) to reduce the burden and time needed for collecting water and 4) to increase people’s daily consumption of clean water to 25-30 litres.

Two types of interventions were designed to achieve these outcomes. Firstly, physical infrastructure was supplied through the construction of a water storage tank and the installation of a water pump, from which pipelines led to beneficiary households. Secondly, stakeholders were mobilized and informed through community workshops, training sessions and meetings. In the early planning stage, local government authorities proved more difficult to mobilise than other stakeholders. The project leader overcame this by building good relations with local authorities.

When the physical infrastructure was in place, the Nha Be District Public Service Company delivered tap water by truck to the storage tank and pump, which were located on the property of Nguyen Van Em. Clean water was then pumped from the tank through pipelines directly to the homes of beneficiaries. Each user is entitled to 30 litres a day. The system continues to operate 24 hours a day, except during times of maintenance or repair work. 

With the delivery system in operation, authority for the system was transferred by contract to the Phuoc Kien Commune People’s Committee, which set up a team to oversee the system’s operation and maintenance. The team received training and shares responsibilities for general work and maintenance, operation of the pump, water meter recording and collection of water fees. It comprises representatives of the Phuoc Kien Commune People’s Committee, the Executive Board of Hamlet No. 5, the Women’s Association of Hamlet No. 5 and the owner of the land housing the pumping station (who also represents beneficiaries).

A user charge covers the cost of operating the system. Operation costs include water bills, electricity bills, land rent, maintenance fees and a fee for the operation team.

The project significantly helped 107 poor households by cutting the cost of water delivered to their homes. Beneficiaries now pay a fixed price of US$1 / m3, compared with US$3.33 / m3 for home-delivered water before the project was implemented. Individual daily consumption of clean water has increased to 25 to 30 litres, from 10 to 15 litres. Health risks relating to water-borne diseases have been reduced and residents are able to devote more time to income-generating activities because they do not have to spend time collecting water.

The community in general was mobilized around the project and some residents benefited from long-term and short-term employment opportunities. Three members of the operation team secured long-term jobs, while construction and installation work created five to six short-term jobs for several months. Four community members who helped the project leader in overall implementation received financial benefits during the project period.
An unexpected outcome is the degree to which the workload associated with collecting and transporting water has been reduced. As well, the project leader’s skills were greatly enhanced and he now works as a resource person in the region.

A workshop at Phuoc Kien Commune after the project was implemented made several observations about the lessons learned. Firstly, the project leader played a critical role in bringing together the relevant partners to implement the project. Secondly, local government support is essential to achieve community mobilization in Viet Nam. Thirdly, sustainability depends on community members sharing responsibility. Finally, guidance and support is needed from funding agencies.

Although participants gained valuable knowledge and experience, the project partners have not yet expanded the project, mainly because funds for infrastructure development are lacking.

The new delivery system has been providing clean water to the beneficiary households, without disruption, for more than 18 months. Sustainability has been ensured by the active involvement of local government authorities in various stages of the project, as well as consultation with the community. Community ownership has been encouraged through members’ contributions to planning and implementation. Good arrangements for covering the cost of the water delivery system and the institutionalization of the project further contribute to the overall sustainability of the project.

Sustainability in the short and long term is a critical factor in the project’s design. Greater long-term sustainability can be achieved by moving the pumping station to public land and installing more pipelines. The project will therefore require more funding support from the local community and local government agencies to buy land for a permanent pumping station and to install an iron pipe network to replace PVC pipes.

5. Replication and expansion

The project’s concept of providing clean water derived from the local context. A similar mechanism could be applied in other hamlets of the Phouc Kien Commune or other cities in Viet Nam. Given the project’s success, it could be adopted as a model for service provision and implemented on a bigger scale in other areas of Ho Chi Minh City, depending on funding. The project’s physical infrastructure cost just US$7800 and could easily be provided by a small entrepreneur, though the total cost may hinder such efforts. Similar projects would be assisted if local government policies are revised to make it easier for communities to gain official permission for such projects.

6. Contact information

Mr Pham Ngoc Van, Chairman, Phuoc Kien Commune People’s Committee
Phuoc Kien Commune, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Cell phone: +84-90-8206099; Phone: +84-8-7815645

Note: The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Secretariat. Mention of firm names and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. This publication has been issued without formal editing.