Around 4,000 children die every year because of using unclean water.

VietNamNet – According to UNICEF, around 17mil Vietnamese children (52%) lack access to clean water while 20mil (59%) don’t have access to standard toilets.

Executive manager of UNICEF in Vietnam Ann M Veneman said recently that one child dies every 15 seconds from diseases caused by unclean water.

Chander Badloe, Chairman of UNICEF’s Water, Environment and Hygiene Programme, said also that though Vietnam has made progress in supplying clean water and improving sanitary conditions for households, access to clean water and good sanitation is still low, particularly in rural areas.

Shortages of clean water and poor sanitary conditions affect the health of Vietnamese children, with 44% carrying worms and 27% of under-five children malnourished. According to UNICEF statistics, around 10% of children in urban areas don’t have access to toilets, increasing to 40% in rural areas.

In its second phase, the national programme on clean water and rural sanitation aims to increase the number of households with clean water to 85% and those with standard toilets to 70% by 2010.

At present, all kindergartens and primary schools in Vietnam have clean water and standard toilets.

(Source: Tien Phong)