Around 96 percent of the people in inner Hanoi have tap water while six wards in Hoang Mai and three wards in Long Bien have no access to treated water yet.

Nguyen Nhu Hai, the general director of the Hanoi Clean Water Company, asserted that, after raising water charges as of January 1, 2010, the firm would complete its water supply network for the inner areas.

The company will also supply water for the outskirts of Hanoi. Ha Dong and Son Tay, which merged with Hanoi in 2008, have tapped water for only 1 percent of the population, but will have the clean water system in the near future.

“The water supply has been socialized while the state has to compensate for water charges,” Hai noted. “We can only expand the water supply network once the people agree with the plan to raise water prices.”

Ha Noi to raise water price by $0.60 per cu.m

Ha Noi’s water price will increase at the beginning of next year to a maximum of VND12,000 (US$0.60) per cu.m, according to the city People’s Committee.

Ngo Duc Trung, deputy director of the city’s Finance Department, said that water prices had remained constant at VND7,500 ($0.40) for a long time while the input factors for water production, such as salaries and material costs, had risen.

The current water prices were set in 2005. The State has been forced to offset significant production costs.

Trung said the time had come for water prices to be congruent with the current economic situation. With the price hike, the State would only have to offset a small portion, about VND800 per cu.m instead of the current VND1,500 per cu.m.

He added that the new water price would include the environmental protection fee for waste water.

New water prices for domestic use in inner districts such as Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Ba Dinh and Hai Ba Trung will be set at VND4,000 per cu.m for the first 16 cu.m and VND9,700 for anything over 35 cu.m.

For production use in factories or workshops, the price will be VND7,000 per cu.m and establishments such as restaurants or hotels will have to pay VND12,000 per cu.m.

Water in the suburban districts of Ba Vi, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai and Thach That will cost between VND3,800-11,000, depending on the purpose.

Le Duong Noi from Thanh Tri District said that the prices of all necessities have become higher, including petroleum, gas and rice. Now with water prices rising, it would be really hard for people.

VietNamNet/VNS/VNE