uS government grant promotes clean water in Ho chi minh city

Consul General Kenneth Fairfax  (left) and Mr. Tran Dinh Phu, General Director of SAWACO

September 1, 2009, Ho Chi Minh City -- U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Kenneth Fairfax and Mr. Tran Dinh Phu, General Director of the Saigon Water Supply Corporation (SAWACO), on behalf of their governments, signed a grant agreement worth $501,377. The grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is for SAWACO to develop a cost-effective method for treating and disposing sludge produced by SAWACO water treatment plants in HCMC. Mr. Mark J Dunn, Regional Manager for Asia, USTDA, and Mr. Tran Quang Phuong, Member of HCMC People’s Committee and the Director of HCMC Transport Department, witnessed the signing ceremony. “The United States and Vietnam share a commitment to protecting our environment. This study funded by USTDA will provide SAWACO with a world-class solution to the treatment and safe disposal of sludge,” said Consul General Fairfax. SAWACO, which provides water services to six million people in HCMC, has selected Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to provide the USTDA-funded assistance.