Clean water has arrived in the Jilin province with the help of the Red Cross and DNV. At the recent ceremony marking the arrival of tap water, the Norwegian ambassador to China, Tor Christian Hildan, commended the Norwegian and Chinese Red Cross and DNV for their efforts to help the local villagers.
“It is very encouraging that projects like this are helping to improve the health and wellbeing of the people here,” said ambassador Hildan. “Capacity building, training and education are all indispensable parts of this work. I am sure this successful project will have a spin-off effect in other areas, with more villages taking on similar projects.”
The one-year project consisted of providing clean, drinkable water as well as a sanitation education programme for the residents in Cheng Dong village in the Yanbian district of the Jiling province. A similar project in the Chang Rong village was completed in November last year. Both projects involved the provision of DNV’s risk management competence and part funding from DNV Region Greater China.
In spite of China’s overall continuing strong economic growth, there remain great areas of deprivation and vulnerability in many parts of the country.
“Many millions still live below the poverty level as measured against international standards,” said Gideon Tesfai, regional coordinator for the Red Cross. “So we must do all we can to help them.”
According to Tesfai, the rural areas are particularly exposed to vulnerabilities resulting from poor water/sanitation in households and communities in general. “Short-term emergency response interventions, improving water and sanitation systems and increasing awareness about health issues will considerably improve the lives of individuals and reduce some chronic vulnerability in the communities.”
Reduction in illnesses
He added: “The foremost threat nowadays lies in bad water quality. There is still a lot of work to be done in this region, but with the financial and technological support provided by companies like DNV, many people now have safe drinking water and improved sanitary conditions. Indeed, we have already seen a reduction in illnesses and water-borne diseases.”
According to media reports, China has recently launched a campaign to tackle major environmental problems in its vast rural areas. The programme is a major move by the Chinese government to overhaul the rural environment over the next five years to enable villagers and farmers to bid farewell to their often garbage-ridden and dust-smothered surroundings.
The programme has already been carried out in six provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Jiangsu, Ningxia and Jilin, and is to gradually extend to other parts of the country.
High humanitarian needs
Explaining the reasons why the Red Cross chose the Yanbian Autonomous prefecture in the Jilin province, Tesfai said, “We selected this area for several reasons. There are many vulnerable communities and there is a large Korean ethnic minority. Its geographical location, bordering both North Korea and Russia, calls for an active Red Cross branch to take responsibility in an area where potentially there are high humanitarian needs.”
Commenting on DNV’s involvement in this project, DNV’s regional manager for Greater China, Bjørn K Haugland, said, “DNV is committed to take social responsibility in the countries we operate, both through our cooperation agreement with the Red Cross and our triple bottom line reporting in accordance with the UN Global Compact guidelines.”
He added, “In Region Greater China we will do our part through a newly established strategic partnership with the local Red Cross. Together, we will gradually deploy other initiatives in the region and these will be selected on the basis of local staff competence and passion for our objectives and values. I firmly believe that through our combined efforts, competence and technology, we can make other people’s lives safer, healthier and happier”.
