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Lien AID’s Community Water Enterprise programme gains the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Singapore

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Since discussion began at the United Nations (UN) on the post-2015 Development Agenda, Singapore has championed a standalone UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on water, sanitation and hygiene, as sustainable water supply is critical to development. The handover ceremony at Kdul Village marks the commencement of the Ta An and Msar Krang Community Water Enterprises (CWE) in Cambodia. The CWEs have been established by Lien AID with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Singapore. These enterprises utilise a market based approach to provide affordable treated drinking water on a sustainable basis. The communes will own, operate and manage the water treatment and bottling plant through a water entrepreneur and a Water Management Committee (WMC) selected from the local communities. Since 2011, Cambodia has seen more than 370,000 rural poor Cambodians benefit from the creation of 65 CWEs across 11 provinces.

Singapore Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Michael Tan, with Lien AID Chairman Mr. Michael Sim and Lien AID staff in front of the water treatment plant.

Singapore Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Michael Tan, with Lien AID Chairman Mr. Michael Sim and Lien AID staff in front of the water treatment plant.

Singapore’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia Mr. Michael Tan said, “We are pleased to partner Lien AID in bringing clean water to villagers in Ta An and Msar Krang. Through these plants, approximately 2,023 households and 10 schools will have access to clean drinking water. This will help improve public and personal health. It will also benefit their local economy by creating jobs and generating income for the local water and sanitation sector. We are proud of the good work that our Singapore-based international non-profit organisations such as Lien AID are doing to improve sustainable access to clean water in developing countries.”

Singapore Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Michael Tan speaks with Lien AID Chairman Mr. Michael Sim and Cambodia Minister of Rural Development, His Excellency Dr. Ouk Rabun inside the CWE water treatment plant.

Singapore Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr. Michael Tan speaks with Lien AID Chairman, Mr. Michael Sim and Cambodia Minister of Rural Development, His Excellency Dr. Ouk Rabun inside the CWE water treatment plant.

This project is implemented under the Singapore’s Sustainable Development Programme, to support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular our continued commitment to SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation for all.

Villagers buying bottled clean water at the CWE handover ceremony.

Villagers buying clean bottled water at the CWE handover ceremony.

Clean water is essential to health and to the overall development of a community and country. Yet, more than 200 million in rural Asia still have no access to clean water. Established in 2006, Lien AID remains committed to exploring sustainable solutions and collaborative efforts with actors from governments, civil society organisations and the private sector, to enable clean water and sanitation access for rural poor Asians.

Join us now to work together towards a common vision of better water governance and a future where sustainable clean water access is available to everyone. You can also learn more about our work in Cambodia here.

Lien AID launches #waterisluxury campaign

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Singapore is a city of luxury that plays host to lavish social life and many designer brands. But there’s one home-grown luxury that few talk about: access to clean water.

Last month, Lien AID launched a pop-up luxury water bar in the city and invited hundreds of guests inside for an exclusive taste of Ô – the most expensive water in Asia priced at SGD $1,260 a bottle.

People flocked in for a free taste of Asia’s most expensive water – which is pH balanced, rejuvenating, hydrating and most of all, very refreshing.

Then, they realised that the luxury water was not quite what it seemed.

Eau does not actually exist.

Inside each bottle is 100% clean water, which is readily available to us here. But in our neighbouring countries, clean water can be up to 1,260 times less affordable than in Singapore.

For millions of Asia’s rural poor, water is luxury.

But it shouldn’t be.

More than 200 million rural poor in Asia still lack access to clean water. Lien AID is an international non-profit committed to enabling sustainable clean water access for Asia’s rural poor. Watch the full video below and learn more about how you can help at waterisluxury.sg.

For the latest updates on Lien AID, connect with us on our Facebook page.

Updates from the field: Village Water Management projects in China

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Better access to clean water a reality for more than 5,000 villagers in Shandong

Back in June, we shared updates on some ongoing Village Water Management projects in China. Last month, we completed inspection for three project sites in Shandong province and more than 5,000 villagers in Zhujiazhuang, Huangshanzi and Beishiqiao villages gained access to clean piped water.

A villager in Zhujiazhuang village, Shandong province now has access to clean piped water right outside her home

A villager in Zhujiazhuang village, Shandong province now has access to clean piped water right outside her home

Post project monitoring and inspection

We are also continuing our efforts on post project monitoring for VWM projects completed last year. In the beginning of August, we visited the four villages of Qianjin, Jinggang, Sanyuan and Zhongying in Guizhou province, where clean piped water was brought to more than 7,000 villagers under the VWM programme.

Volunteers and staff en route to the villages

Volunteers and staff en route to the villages

With the help of volunteers, we recorded water utilisation rates and examined operational documents and the conditions of water facilities. We also conducted house-to-house visits as well as interviews with members of the local water management committee. The information collected will be used for the post project sustainability assessments (PPSAs), which will aim to improve the effectiveness  and outcomes of our VWM projects.

Learn more about the VWM programme in China here. To stay in touch with our latest updates, join our mailing list.

Better access to affordable clean water no longer a pipe dream for 1,800 villagers in Myanmar

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Earlier this year, we shared the progress of our pilot clean water project in Tetma village, Mandalay region, Myanmar. In partnership with Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), this project aims to create better access to affordable clean water for more than 1,800 villagers.

Tetma village is located in the dry zone in Myanmar and experiences low annual rainfall. When we first visited this area in 2014, we saw the importance of clean water to the villagers – especially in terms of livelihood, and their daily challenges to get access to clean water. Families typically start their day with a walk of up to an hour to fetch eight to 10 gallons of clean water from a well for personal use and their production of jaggery (honey and candy) for trade. The amount of jaggery produced is dependent on the amount of clean water that families can collect in time, before the local tradesman collect their products daily.

Women in Tetma village making jaggery (honey and candy) for trade

Women in Tetma village making jaggery (honey and candy) for trade

Handover of completed pilot clean water project to Tetma village on 12 June 2016

Under the pilot clean water project, a solar-powered and gravity-fed piped water distribution system was extended from an existing tube well to eight water points at six surrounding hamlets (small rural settlements with a small population), bringing access to clean water closer to the homes.

New water tower and storage tank

New water tower and storage tank

The local Water Management Committee (WMC) was trained to manage and monitor the new water distribution system, while workshops were conducted for both the WMC and local villagers to increase awareness on best practices in health and hygiene.

Since the completion of the system in April 2016, villagers shared that it has reduced walking distances and saved time on water collection. Some of them have been able to collect more water for their personal use and jaggery production with the reduced walking distance and lower cost.

Villagers collecting water at one of the water points

Villagers collecting water at one of the water points

We handed over the project to the village authorities at an official ceremony graced by Ministers and General Attorney from the Mandalay Regional Government, district administrators and villagers on 12 June 2016.

Lien AID Chairman Mr Michael Sim with local authorities at the official handover ceremony

Lien AID Chairman Mr Michael Sim with local authorities at the official handover ceremony

The completion of this pilot project in the Mandalay region marks Lien AID’s first step in enabling clean water access for Myanmar’s rural communities. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of this project for the next two years. Moving forward, we are also studying the feasibility of piloting clean water projects in the Ayeyarwady region, bringing the gift of clean water to more rural communities in Myanmar.

Learn more about Myanmar’s water woes and our focus areas here.