18 September 2009
A project that has brought clean water to more than
280,000 people in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam has won a
prestigious award for Environment and Sustainability in the
Engineers Australia Victorian Engineering Excellence Awards.
The Three Delta Towns (3DT) Water Supply and
Sanitation Project, managed by GHD, has significantly contributed
to promoting sustainable practices and creating healthy
environments in the provincial towns of Ha Tien, Sa Dec and Bac
Lieu.
The seven-year project reflects GHD’s strong
commitment to delivering sustainable outcomes. Water treatment
plants and infrastructure have been constructed to deliver safe
drinking water. Inadequate drains have been replaced and
uncontrolled waste dumps are being replaced with sanitary
landfills.
Le Thi Hao, 3DT Community Development Project
Officer, said one of the most enduring impressions she has of the
project is of a woman who built a toilet in her wooden hut, paid
for by a loan from a micro-credit scheme that supported the
project’s sustainability goals.
“She said it was the most beautiful thing in her
house,” she said.
GHD worked closely with residents to raise
awareness of the link between water, sanitation and health and
improve sustainable community practices. GHD also identified and
managed environmental risks throughout the project.
The benefits of the project play out in health
statistics. The incidence of diseases such as Typhoid, Cholera and
Malaria fell by more than five times between 2005 and 2007.
The $80 million program was jointly funded by the
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the
Vietnamese government.
For more information, contact:
Sonia Adams