Water quality monitoring in a text message

On 20-23 February 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewage Association (VWSA) led the first of the final three Water Safety Plan (WSP) workshops in Do Son, Vietnam.



To date, 45 out of 63 water supply companies have been trained to implement the WSP, a system of protection and surveillance of water supplies from source to tap. The WSP encourages water supply companies to implement a multi-barrier system designed to analyze water quality every step of the way, systematically reducing hazards from catchment to the customer. 



Mrs Tran Thi Minh Tam, laboratory manager of the Hue Water Supply Company in Central Vietnam (Hue WaCo), was invited to the workshop to share Hue WaCo's lessons learned and persisting challenges. The company serves the entire province of Hue and includes a total of 16 water treatment plants (13 in rural and 3 in urban areas). Hue was WHO’s second pilot for the launching of the WSP in 2007.



Sedimentation pools in Hai Phong (Dijakovic/WHO)

To properly implement the WSP, Hue WaCo identified hazards by analyzing each stage of the water treatment and distribution process. Pollution of the water source was studied as well as the quality of the wastewater discarded directly into the watersource, particularly in the upstream portion of the river Huong. The main pollutants found are directly related to the construction of the Binh Dien hydroelectric plant. Built in 2009, it’s the first of a number of dams being constructed and it has greatly affected the quality and quantity of the water downstream. The weaker waterflow, predominantly during the summer months, results in lower oxygen levels and a perfect habitat for algae. It also increases the concentration of heavy metals such as iron and manganese, causing an unpleasant odour in the summer heat and greatly affecting the water distribution pipelines. Hue WaCo is now obliged to undertake a yearly clean-up of the water pipes to rid them of collected debris and is currently seeking a solution to fight the presence of poisonous substances leaking from the plant. Other challenges face the lower portion of the river, the industrial artery of the province. The discharges from the local industries are detrimental to the water quality of the Huong. There is still very little cooperation between the industrial sector and the water supply company despite strict environmental health regulations at the national level. 



 Old waterpipe with debris in Hai Phong (Dijakovic/WHO)

Notwithstanding the grim depiction above, the situation has significantly improved. Mrs Minh Tam was invited to the workshop to share her province’s exceptional achievements. In 2008-2009, Hue WaCo opened 16 public drinking fountains in the city of Hue. In 2010, 4 additional fountains were inaugurated in the rural areas. More recently, on 14 February 2011, Hue WaCo collaborated with the Aquaya Institute, a California based NGO, to introduce a new software application for water quality data reporting. The Water Quality Reporter is a simple mobile phone application developed by the University of Cape Town (http://spatialdatamanagement.uct.ac.za/water-quality-reporter/) under the Aquatest Research and Development Program, an international research initiative led by the University of Bristol ( ). The Water Quality Reporter allows technicians to submit results from daily water testing to a central server which is then accessed by the managers at the central laboratory. Operators fill out test result forms filled out on the phones, which are then sent via the GPRS data network to the central database. Weekly, Mrs Minh Tam receives an excel report from the database summarizing test results such as pH, turbidity, residual chloride, iron, manganese and total dissolved solids (TDS). The database is also configured to send Mrs Minh Tam and the other managers warning SMS messages when test results exceed the allowable limits. Thanks to this system, the rural and often isolated water treatment plants are able to systematically input essential water quality data into the database without having to rely on the delivery of paper forms or unstable and sporadic internet connections.

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/aquatest/

For more information on current issues in the water sector in Vietnam:

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