Hanoi, Flemish Region of Belgium team up to combat water pollution

Hanoi looks forward to working with Belgian companies, especially those from the Flemish region, to tackle urban water pollution and address challenges related to water sources.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Le Hong Son and Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Culture, ICT and Facility Management Jan Jambon. Photos: Cam Anh/The Hanoi Times

Le Hong Son, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, made the remarks today [September 12] during a meeting with Jan Jambon, Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Culture, ICT and Facility Management.

Expressing his appreciation for the warm welcome by the city's leaders, Jambon stressed that the long-standing and developing cooperation between the Flemish Region and Hanoi has harnessed significant potential and capabilities.

He also stressed his belief in further expanding and developing this relationship. Jambon pointed out that the delegation accompanying him to Hanoi includes numerous Belgian companies already operating in Vietnam, all keen to further develop their cooperation with Hanoi.

In response, Vice-Chairman Son expressed Hanoi's commitment to sustainable development, with modern projects aimed at environmental friendliness and cleanliness while preserving and promoting the city's rich cultural heritage.

He expressed his admiration for the Belgian companies in the delegation, highlighting their extensive experience in areas of great interest to Hanoi, such as river and lake pollution control and water resource management. Son expressed hope for fruitful cooperation in these areas.

In addition, he anticipated that the delegation's visit would strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the cooperation between the Flemish Region and Hanoi, ultimately benefiting both parties.

Providing further context to the delegation, Son emphasized that Hanoi is currently engaged in three simultaneous tasks: formulating the general plan for the capital, adjusting construction plans following the expansion of the city's administrative boundaries in 2008, and drafting the amended Capital Law. In this process, he expressed Hanoi's hope for support from Belgium, especially the Flemish Region, in the form of expertise, technology, and cooperation to help Hanoi achieve its goals.

The signing ceremony.

He emphasized that this agreement serves as a basis for HydroScan to propose a funding mechanism to the Belgian government agency for the Smart Water Management cooperation project. The objective is to apply advanced drainage management technology to proactively prevent and manage risks in a modern way, thereby increasing efficiency and optimizing Hanoi's drainage system.

Patrick Swartenbroekx, General Manager of HydroScan, echoed these sentiments and expressed the company's strong interest in further expanding its presence in Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi. He emphasized the importance of partnerships such as the one with HSDC and considered the signing ceremony an important milestone in achieving this goal.

As part of the event, a ceremony was held to recognize the successful completion of the project entitled "Transfer of Clean Water Leak Detection Technology Management Software at Hanoi Clean Water Company". The project, approved by the Hanoi People's Committee on October 23, 2019, aimed to establish smart management technology to identify areas with persistent clean water leaks for timely repair. The project aimed to reduce leakage losses to less than 15% through smart management and repair efforts in all areas where the LeakRedux software was installed.

In addition, the project included training to enhance the capacity of Hanoi Clean Water Company staff to effectively use and integrate the LeakRedux software system into a practical leak reduction strategy. After three years of implementation, the project was successfully completed.