Supporting women facing drought and saltwater intrusion in Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan
WVR - In response to the severe impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, UN Women and the Government of Japan are partnering to support 7,200 residents, especially vulnerable women, in Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan provinces.
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| The “Water is Life” initiative will enhance women’s sustainable access to clean and agriculture water, improve their livelihoods, and contribute to the prevention of gender-based violence. (Source: UN Women) |
The “Water is Life” initiative, funded by the Government of Japan and led by UN Women in collaboration with the Women’s Unions of Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan, is a year-long project from 2024 till 2025. Through providing water storage tanks, filtration systems, efficient water saving equipment, and targeted communication programs, this initiative will enhance women’s sustainable access to clean and agriculture water, improve their livelihoods, and contribute to the prevention of gender-based violence in these provinces.
Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, said: “Women carry the primary responsibility for water collection and caregiving in their households, making them the first and hardest hit by water scarcity... The ‘Water is Life’ project not only eases these burdens by securing vital water supplies but also empowers women in the frontline of building community resilience against climate impacts.”
Due to water scarcity, women spend an additional two to three hours each day collecting water, which affects their health, restricts work opportunities, and heightens their exposure to gender-based violence when traveling far from home. Additionally, a lack of clean water contributes to the spread of infectious diseases, especially impacting children and pregnant women, old people and thereby increasing caregiving responsibilities.
As part of this project, UN Women and the Government of Japan are providing water tanks to households and filtration systems s To schools and health centers to improve sanitation for children and local residents. Furthermore, as part of the province’s development plan for water provision, this project is creating linkages with private sector investors in water saving technologies, with a commitment to empowering women, as the province continues to pursue long term solutions of this climate induced disaster. With the Government of Japan’s support, it is estimated that 7,200 people, especially vulnerable women, will benefit from these efforts.
In his part, Mr. Ito Naoki, the Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, said: “We hope that this project will improve access to clean water for women and children living in the province of Ca Mau, and that this will lead to the revitalization of agriculture and other industries in the province, as well as to the securing of livelihoods for women in vulnerable positions”.
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| Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam. (Source: UN Women) |
From November 5 till end of Dec 2024, over 420 women in Khanh Binh Tay Commune, Tran Van Thoi District, Ca Mau, received water storage tanks to help reduce time spent on water collection, lighten caregiving burdens, and protect family health. Additionally, 200 women with a need to improve agricultural irrigation systems will receive financial support for water-saving irrigation equipment, following the declaration of a level 2 drought emergency on the water situation.
Facing severe drought, significant saltwater intrusion, and a heightened risk of wildfires, Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan are among Vietnam’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Extended droughts are damaging agriculture and impacting the health and livelihoods of residents, particularly women and children responsible for household water supplies. In Ca Mau, saltwater intrusion in 2020 affected over 29,644 hectares of cropland, drastically reducing rice and vegetable yields and costing an estimated VND 107 billion. Rising water scarcity has forced over 20,000 households to buy water at high prices, affecting their ability to spend on other essentials.
In Ninh Thuan - the driest province in Vietnam - rolonged droughts led to over 7,873 hectares of farmland being abandoned between 2019-2020. Here, the shortage of fresh water has placed 72,000 people at risk of food insecurity, while more than 12,000 households, encompassing nearly 50,000 people, lack access to drinking water. With surface and groundwater sources drying up, around 110,000 livestock have suffered malnutrition or died from lack of water and food.
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| UN Women and the Government of Japan are providing water tanks to households and filtration systems s To schools and health centers to improve sanitation for children and local residents in Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan provinces. (Source: UN Women) |
