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Two million Vietnamese experience insecure water access due to drought

Xinhua, July 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Two million Vietnamese, including 1 million women and 520,000 children, are experiencing insecure access to water, said the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) on Wednesday.

According to a press release by UN Women Vietnam, as a result of El Nino, Vietnam's central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta provinces have been undergoing severe drought since the beginning of 2016.

Due to the drought and saltwater intrusion, women spend an additional two to three hours collecting water for their families than normal. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation has increased health risks, particularly to women, said the press release.

In response to the situation, the UN Women has received 400,000 U.S. dollars from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund and 300,000 U.S. dollars from South Korea to improve the hygiene and sanitation conditions of women and girls in Vietnam's drought-affected provinces.

In March 2016, Vietnamese government called for assistance as 18 out of its 63 provinces suffered from the most severe drought in the past few decades. The Mekong Delta, South Central and Central Highland regions are the most affected by salt intrusion and water scarcity. Enditem