New guidebook shows Vietnamese communities the way to safer and climate-resilient water supplies

Long Thanh water scheme as part of the climate resilient water safety planning through Thrive's WOBA project in Vietnam (Thrive Networks / Tran Tuan Anh)

A new guidebook will help Vietnamese communities affected by climate-related issues such as drought and saltwater intrusion secure safer water supplies.

Our partner, Thrive Networks - East Meets West (Thrive) is pioneering evidence-based programs and technologies in health, water and sanitation.

Working with the National Centre for Water Supply and Sanitation (NCERWASS), part of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Thrive has created a guidebook to help underprivileged communities connect to safer water supplies and learn about climate-resilient water safety planning.

The guidebook is part of the implementation of Women-Led Output-Based Aid (WOBA) in Vietnam, a Water for Women project supported by the Australian Government.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers Water Safety Plans (WSPs) the most effective way to maintain safe public drinking water supplies. The Vietnamese government, too, recognises their importance, and has issued regulations and guidelines on their development and adoption.

But gaps remain, including:

• Instructions specific to different geographic areas
• An absence of climate resilience approaches for areas vulnerable to climate change
• Partial implementation of water safety planning regulations

Water schemes in urban areas develop and implement most WSPs. This can be at the neglect of water safety planning for rural water supply.

Thrive has been working with NCERWASS, and Nghe An province’s Provincial Centre for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (PCERWASS), to pilot water safety planning in the rural water scheme of Long Thanh district (pictured). It will share lessons from the pilot at a training event on climate resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Ben Tre, a drought and saltwater intrusion-affected Mekong delta province. The event will build understanding of climate risks and vulnerability in the WASH sector, share knowledge and experience, and identify adaptations.

Water is a valuable resource. In communities, households, schools and workplaces, water means health, hygiene, dignity and productivity.

We must use and manage water responsibly to balance the water needs of society and ensure we leave no one behind. The sustainable and efficient use of water is critical in building resilience to climate change. Adapting to the impacts of climate change will help to protect health and save lives.

Though climate resilience is a long-term process, Thrive’s collaboration is a timely response to recent extreme climate events in the project areas and an example of a sustainable approach to maintaining safe water supply in vulnerable communities, amid growing climate uncertainties.