Japan’s Yokohama promotes water-related business in Thua Thien-Hue
A workshop was held in Hue city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, on July 6 to promote water-related business activities of Japan’s Yokohama city in Vietnam.
The event was organised by the Thua Thien-Hue Construction and Water Supply Co. Ltd (HueWACO), the Yokohama Waterworks Bureau (YWWB) and the Yokohama Water Business Association (YWBA). It attracted 165 delegates from 58 organisations and agencies in Vietnam’s water sector and seven leading water-related agencies of Japan.
They were briefed about water supply services, water leak detection technologies, integrated water resources management systems and manpower training so as to improve the water sector’s business efficiency.
Participants also shared experience to help Vietnam’s water supply companies receive advice from and advanced water supply technologies transferred by Japan.
Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee Nguyen Dung lauded the cooperation between the two countries’ water sector, noting that the projects implemented by the YWWB in the province have proved effective and become an example of Vietnam’s international cooperation in the water sector.
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The province has provided safe water for nearly 1 million people, or 83 percent of its population. However, about 200,000 residents in rural areas haven’t accessed clean water supply sources, he noted, adding that Thua Thien-Hue wants to receive more assistance and cooperation from Japan’s water sector to improve local water supply capacity.
A representative of the YWWB said the bureau will sign a cooperation agreement for 2017-2019 with HueWACO to enhance ties in clean water supply for the province.
Director of the province’s Department of External Affairs Tran Dinh Phu said aside from water supply, Thua Thien-Hue and Japan have also cooperated in many other spheres such as disaster prevention, heritage preservation, transport, education and health care. Japan is currently the biggest ODA provider of Vietnam as well as the province.
Notably, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has assisted Hue city with a project on improving the local water environment. Phase I of the project has a total investment of JPY20 trillion (US$220 million) funded by the Japanese Government’s concessional loan.