"Breaking Through the Drinking Water Barrier Caused by Saline Intrusion"... STEPI Transfers Solar-Powered Water Treatment Facility to Vietnam

Stable Drinking Water Supply for 2,500 Residents in Saline-Affected Mekong Region
Implementation of Integrated Water, Energy, and Food Management Model

A Korean technology-based water treatment system has been established in rural Vietnam, where communities have long struggled with drinking water shortages due to saline intrusion from the Mekong River. This is expected to resolve the water scarcity issues faced by the residents.

The Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) announced on March 27 that it held a transfer ceremony for a solar power and reverse osmosis (RO)-based water treatment facility in Con Lin Village, Vin Long Province, Vietnam, officially handing over operations to the local community. With this transfer, the pilot project jointly promoted by Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) across four Mekong countries has been completed.

Residents of Con Lin Village in Vin Long Province, Vietnam, are drawing water from a water treatment facility made with Korean technology. Provided by STEPI

Con Lin Village is an area that has faced difficulties securing drinking water every dry season due to seawater inflow. Residents have had to store rainwater or purchase water from outside sources, and the high salinity water has posed a burden on agriculture and shrimp farming, which are vital to their livelihoods.

The newly established facility utilizes a two-stage purification system combining ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO). The UF process removes bacteria and suspended solids, while the RO process filters out salt and heavy metals. The facility is powered by solar energy and features fully automated digital operation.

The system supplies 50 cubic meters of domestic water and 100 cubic meters of water for shrimp farming per day. The plant is designed as a circular system, recycling by-products from the purification process for aquaculture, thereby realizing the 'WEF Nexus' model that integrates water, energy, and food management.

As a result of this project, approximately 2,500 people (700 households) are expected to receive a stable supply of drinking water.

The transfer ceremony held on March 16 was attended by officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, STEPI, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS), and the Vietnam National Mekong Committee (VNMC), as well as about 70 local residents. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and training on operation and maintenance (O&M).

Yoon Jiwoong, President of STEPI, stated, "This transfer marks not the end of the project, but the starting point for community-led operations," adding, "It is expected to serve as a cooperation model that combines technology demonstration, policy research, and capacity building, and can be expanded further."

Heo Eunyoung, Director of Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "This is a complete model where technology is actually making a difference in people's lives in the field," and evaluated it as "a successful example of collaboration among Korean technology, the Vietnamese government, and the local community."

Park Hwanil, Senior Research Fellow at STEPI, commented, "This transfer goes beyond the completion of an individual project and signifies that the Korean-style technology cooperation model has been established throughout the Mekong region."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.