Clean water and rural environmental hygiene are an urgent problem in protecting the health of human beings and improving their living conditions for sustainable development. They have become more important amid the current climate change and fast growth speed.

Epidemic diseases relating to water resources and environmental hygiene are still popular. Poor public awareness and action of the personal hygiene is one of the main reasons leading to this situation. According to the report of the Health Ministry's Department for Preventive Health, there are still more than 1mln people annually getting infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid…In many rural regions, this ratio is very high…

Before the above situation, together with other localities nationwide, Binh Duong province has over time actively launched and responded to the National Week on Clean Water and Environmental Hygiene, bringing positive results. For this year’s week implemented well, chairman of provincial People’s Committee has just issued Directive No.07/CT-UBND asking for sectors, mass organizations and localities to organize activities in response to the week at the same time, from April 29 to May 6.

Accordingly, sectors and localities will implement many significant activities in response to the week, including tidying up public places, dredging and clearing canals, growing green trees…They will also promote the information dissemination to raise public awareness and action of clean water and environmental hygiene; disseminate the policy of socialization on encouraging the investment, management and exploitation of rural clean water, mobilize all resources to take part in realizing the National Target Program on Clean Water and Rural Environmental Hygiene…

The directive also specifies that sectors and localities need to boost the management and use of water supply works after being invested; regularly inspect the quality of water, contributing to improving people’s health; speed up the socialization of using clean water among the people…

A meeting in respond to the National Week on Clean Water and Environmental Hygiene 2011 was organized in Phu Giao district on April 26. After the meeting, Phu Giao district implemented many activities to respond to the week such as cleaning up public places, collecting rubbish, clearing canals…to restrict the level of the local environmental pollution.

Reported by Mai Huy-Translated by K.T