Bringing clean water to households: Exceeding targets for 2021–2025

For many years, Dong Nai has identified ensuring clean water for residents as a key political task of party committees and authorities at all levels. On that basis, in 2022, the Provincial People’s Committee approved the Dong Nai clean water supply plan for the 2021–2025 period (the Plan), serving as a foundation for synchronized investment in water supply infrastructure and the gradual improvement of living standards.

Clean water pipeline system invested by Dong Nai Water Supply JSC. Photo: Ban Mai

By the end of the period, all targets under the Plan had been achieved or surpassed, laying the foundation for the province to develop the 2026–2030 plan to ensure that all residents have access to clean water.

Exceeding targets for clean water supply

Clean water is a vital need for both daily life and production activities. As groundwater resources continue to decline in both volume and quality, while climate change becomes increasingly complex and living standards rise, the development of centralized clean water supply systems has become an urgent priority.

In response to this situation, in 2022, the former Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision No. 673/QD-UBND approving the Plan. The objective is to invest in the construction, upgrading, and expansion of water supply systems, aiming by 2025 for all urban areas across the province to have centralized water supply systems sourced from surface water, ensuring sufficient capacity and quality to meet domestic, production, and business demands. Specific targets include providing standard clean water to over 90 percent of the urban population and over 85 percent of the rural population.

In the former Binh Phuoc province, clean water targets were also included in resolutions and plans of the Provincial Party Committee, the People’s Council, and the People’s Committee, with the goal that by 2025, 100% of the population would have access to hygienic domestic water.

After many years of implementation, clean water development has recorded notable results. In the Southern part of Dong Nai province, 26 large clean water projects have been implemented, with more than 1,000 km of pipelines constructed to expand coverage from centralized water plants, at a total cost of over VND 2.3 trillion. As a result, the rate of the urban population using standard clean water reached 94%, exceeding the target by 4 percentage points, while rural areas reached 85%.

In the northern part of the province, the rate of the population using hygienic domestic water has remained at 100 percent. Additionally, water supply enterprises have invested in approximately 320 kilometers of pipelines extending to several rural communes bordering urban areas, raising the proportion of households using standard clean water to nearly 10 percent in rural areas and over 75 percent in urban areas.

According to Duong Van Hieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction, the department has actively coordinated with localities and water supply units to implement projects under the Plan. As a result, numerous water pipelines have been installed and extended to residential areas, while procedures and connection times for water meters have improved significantly. Most projects have been completed and put into operation, and many water plants have increased their capacity, better meeting both domestic and production demands.

Dong Nai Water Supply Joint Stock Company (Dowaco) has achieved the most effective results in implementing the Plan. In urban areas alone, the company has completed 42 of 71 projects identified in the Plan, totaling about 460 kilometers in pipeline length and an investment of over VND 593 billion. The remaining projects are either underway or in the preparation phase; a small number have been proposed for cancellation due to duplication or replacement by other works. In addition, the company has added two source water supply projects worth nearly VND 20 billion and 25 pipeline projects totaling around 122 kilometers, with an investment of approximately VND 212 billion, thereby increasing the number of residents using standard clean water. Dowaco’s subsidiaries and affiliated companies have also invested in and continue to develop numerous clean water supply projects for residents.

On January 7, 2026, the Provincial People’s Committee issued Plan No. 179/UBND-KTN, assigning specific responsibilities to departments, sectors, localities, and water suppliers to continue implementing measures to further increase the proportion of residents using clean water across the province.

Toward universal access to clean water

The progress in clean water development, reflected in improved infrastructure, higher usage rates, and streamlined administrative procedures, can be attributed to sound orientation and strong leadership from the Provincial Party Committee, the People’s Council, and the People’s Committee, along with the active involvement of departments, localities, and the shared responsibility of enterprises.

However, several projects under the Plan are encountering difficulties with investment procedures and planning, preventing their implementation as scheduled. In some areas where water supply infrastructure has already been built, usage rates remain low, reducing the effectiveness of the projects. Inadequate and unsynchronized infrastructure planning, along with the absence of detailed, 1:2,000-scale zoning plans, has led to delays and hindered the selection of investors for specific projects. For state-funded projects, slow dossier preparation, prolonged land-clearance processes, and delays in contractor selection have all impacted project timelines. Additionally, many rural clean water facilities built before 2018 employ treatment technologies that no longer meet current standards. According to enterprises, clean water prices do not fully reflect actual costs, making it difficult to attract new investment.

For the 2026–2030 period, the province aims to raise the proportion of the urban population using clean water from centralized systems to 92%, and to ensure that 85% of rural households use water that meets standards, of which 68% will be supplied from centralized waterworks.

To achieve these goals, the province will continue to prioritize investment in building new pipelines and renovating and expanding existing networks, aiming for full coverage in urban areas, concentrated residential zones, and designated development areas. At the same time, capacity expansion of existing water plants will be allowed, and investors will be encouraged to extend pipeline networks within service areas to reduce costs compared with building new plants. Land and planning procedures will be completed to attract investment in new water plants, ensuring a safe water supply and backup sources for industrial parks, urban areas around Long Thanh Airport, and key growth zones through 2050.

In areas where infrastructure is already in place but usage rates remain low, grassroots authorities and water suppliers will intensify communication and outreach efforts, review the underlying causes, and implement appropriate solutions to avoid scattered and inefficient investment. Enterprises assigned to manage water supply zones must proactively develop implementation plans for the 2026–2030 period and annual plans. In cases of delayed implementation without justifiable reasons, the assigned water supply zones may be reviewed for revocation and reassigned to more capable units.

By Ban Mai – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho