Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Inspection units willbe established in all cities and provinces nationwide to conduct regularinspections on the quality of water supplied to households from June, theMinistry of Health has said.
Via a circular, the ministry has mandated thatthe quality of water supplied to households in each locality be inspected atleast once a year.
The inspections can be conducted without noticeto supply units if there are doubts of the quality of the water reported byauthorised agencies, or after an environmental incident that might impact onwater quality.
The People’s Committees of cities and provinceswere assigned to issue their own technical regulations on water quality fordomestic use.
The committees were asked to guide theinspection on the water quality and allocate State funds to upgrade laboratoryequipment at the local centres for disease control to conduct the tests.
The centres for disease control would takeresponsibility for inspections at units that supply water to more than 500households or have capacity of 1,000 cubic metres per day. For units withsmaller capacity, the centres were asked to direct local health centres to dothe work.
Specialised agencies under the ministry wouldcollect the results of the inspections and report them to the ministry’sDepartment of Health Environment Management Agency.
Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, head of the ministry’sDepartment of Health Environment Management Agency, said the move would improvethe management of local authorities and the role of water supply units inensuring clean water for citizens.
In the last 10 years, three to four large-scalewater pollution incidents and hundreds of small-scale cases have been reportedthroughout the country each year. The quality of surface water in Vietnam hasalso been decreasing.
Figures from the Ministry of Health showed thateach year, about 9,000 people die due to poor water and hygiene conditions onaverage. Polluted water was also the reason for more than 100,000 cases ofcancer each year.
The Government’s National Programme on New RuralDevelopment targets that more than 95 percent of households nationwide couldaccess clean water by 2020.-VNA
Via a circular, the ministry has mandated thatthe quality of water supplied to households in each locality be inspected atleast once a year.
The inspections can be conducted without noticeto supply units if there are doubts of the quality of the water reported byauthorised agencies, or after an environmental incident that might impact onwater quality.
The People’s Committees of cities and provinceswere assigned to issue their own technical regulations on water quality fordomestic use.
The committees were asked to guide theinspection on the water quality and allocate State funds to upgrade laboratoryequipment at the local centres for disease control to conduct the tests.
The centres for disease control would takeresponsibility for inspections at units that supply water to more than 500households or have capacity of 1,000 cubic metres per day. For units withsmaller capacity, the centres were asked to direct local health centres to dothe work.
Specialised agencies under the ministry wouldcollect the results of the inspections and report them to the ministry’sDepartment of Health Environment Management Agency.
Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, head of the ministry’sDepartment of Health Environment Management Agency, said the move would improvethe management of local authorities and the role of water supply units inensuring clean water for citizens.
In the last 10 years, three to four large-scalewater pollution incidents and hundreds of small-scale cases have been reportedthroughout the country each year. The quality of surface water in Vietnam hasalso been decreasing.
Figures from the Ministry of Health showed thateach year, about 9,000 people die due to poor water and hygiene conditions onaverage. Polluted water was also the reason for more than 100,000 cases ofcancer each year.
The Government’s National Programme on New RuralDevelopment targets that more than 95 percent of households nationwide couldaccess clean water by 2020.-VNA
VNA
