Japan’s water education programme “Mizuiku – I love clean water” kicked off in the central province of Quang Nam on March 22 in response to World Water Day.
Scene at the event (Photo: tienphong.vn)
The programme, first implemented in Vietnam in 2015, focuses on practical, outdoor activities to educate children on the role of water on the planet and to raise their awareness on the importance of water resources and water hygiene in their daily lives.
Along with Quang Nam, this year’s programme will be carried out in Hanoi, northern Ha Giang, Lang Son and Bac Ninh provinces, and the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre.
Ten training courses for over 300 teachers and volunteers are scheduled to be organised, while nearly 90 extracurricular classes to be held to educate students on the environment.
As part of the programme, 15 clean water facilities will be built and toilets of some schools will be upgraded.
Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Nguyen Ngoc Luong said that the programme has helped raise children’s awareness about the importance of water resources, so they can join in protecting and using water economically and effectively.
Vietnam is one of the nations affected most by climate change and is being warned of the lack of water and the risk of water pollution.
Statistics of the Ministries of Health, and Natural Resources and Environment show that Vietnam records around 9,000 deaths because of water resources and dirty sanitation conditions, and nearly 200,000 new cancer cases with one of the main reasons for this being from water pollution.
The average volume in the country is about 3,600 cubic meters of water per person a year, compared to the global average of 4,000 cubic meters per person, according to the International Water Resources Association.-VNA