| World Bank Helps
Modernize Irrigation Schemes and Improve Dam Safety in
Vietnam |
| |
Hanoi, March 31, 2004 –The World
Bank’s Board of Directors yesterday approved a US$158
million credit for the Vietnam Water Resources Assistance
Project to help raise farm household income and further
reduce rural poverty in Vietnam. The project supports the
development of national programs for irrigation
modernization and dam safety. It also begins the long-term
process of integrated development in the Thu Bon river
basin.
Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Pham
Hong Giang said, “Agriculture provides about a quarter
of Vietnam’s GDP and exports, and employs two third of the
labor force. Further crop diversification and increases in
productivity require modern hydraulic infrastructure and
more efficient delivery of irrigation and drainage
services.”
Vice Minister Giang said that one of the Government’s
current priorities is investing in the rehabilitation and
upgrade of degraded irrigation schemes which can not ensure
the designed services. A lot of schemes were built tens of
years ago when technology was backward. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development welcomes the World Bank’s
strategy to assist the Government in accelerating this
process through loans to development projects. More
particularly, this Project will be the first one to
modernize the irrigation systems in Vietnam. It is hoped
that this Project not only bring capacity, knowledge and
experience to Vietnamese practitioners but also in other
operations and management activities in the irrigation
sector.
“The Project will support key elements of Vietnam’s
Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy,” said
Klaus Rohland, Director of the World Bank in Vietnam.
“We help farmers with small-scale irrigation schemes who
just came out of poverty to build on the gains made in
1990s. Irrigation agencies will be held accountable for
their technical and financial performance. This is the best
way to ensure sustainability of irrigation management.”
The Project has four components: Irrigation Modernization;
Dam Safety Management; Thu Bon Basin Development and Project
Management and Capacity Building.
The Irrigation Modernization component will renovate
the infrastructure and management of the six largest
irrigation schemes in Vietnam: Dau Tieng, Cau Son – Cam Son,
Phu Ninh, Ke Go, Yen Lap and Da Ban. This component aims at
improving irrigation and drainage services on approximately
130,000 ha.
The Dam Safety Management component will help
establish a Dam Safety unit in MARD and address remedial
safety works in at least three to-be-identified dams. It
also finances the improvement of the Hoa Binh dam safety
instrumentation system.
In the Thu Bon Basin, the Bank will fund the high
priority Quang Hue River Flow Stabilization works that
control flows of water to the cities of Da Nang and Hoi An.
The component will help establish a basin-wide water
management system, and fund the preparation of feasibility
studies for other high-priority hydraulic infrastructure.
Technical assistance for project management and capacity
building programs are essential for effective project
implementation and has also seen included in the financing
plan.
It is expected that in the next two years, all dams and main
canals and 20% of command areas will be upgraded, the Hoa
Binh instrumentation in Component 2 will be completed and
Quang Hue river works from Component 3 will be finalized.
For more information about the Vietnam Water Resources
Assistance Project, please visit our web site at
www.worldbank.org.vn.
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Basic facts
Name: Vietnam Water Resources
Assistance Project
Total cost: approximately US$176.2 million
WB contribution: approximately US$157.8 million
Duration: 2004-2011
Implementing agency: Ministry of Agriculture and
Development and Electricity of Vietnam
Contact: Mr. Pham Hong Giang, Vice-Minister 2
Ngoc Ha street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: (84-4) 7331311 Fax: (84-4) 7331311
Project components: The
project consists of four components.
• Irrigation Modernization ($154.7 million)
• Dam safety Management ($10.2 million)
• Thu Bon Basin Development ($2.6 million) |
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For more information on the World Bank in Vietnam, please visit
our Web site at
www.worldbank.org.vn
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