INSEE supports Mekong Delta people in fight against salinity and drought

Residents in the Mekong Delta waiting for fresh water transported from Ho Chi Minh City to cover their daily activities and production

The donations were made to help the people of the Mekong Delta provinces suffering from severe drought and salinity. These phenomena have affected 10 of the 13 provinces of the Mekong Delta, with the exception of An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho. So far, five provinces in the region (Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Ben Tre, Tien Giang, and Long An) have declared a state of emergency due to saline intrusion.

The shortage of fresh water is taking a large scale, seriously affecting production and people's lives in the Mekong Delta. According to the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta is at a severe level and will continue to remain high for the remaining months of the dry season.

"I think the salinisation in the Mekong Delta is a major issue in the long term and INSEE wants people to pay more attention to this challenge and join hands to solve it," said Philippe Richart, general director of INSEE Vietnam.

Pursuing this goal, INSEE Vietnam co-ordinates with Tuoi Tre News to implement the "Bring fresh water to the Mekong Delta" project. Specifically, INSEE sponsored VND500 million ($21,740) to buy water purifiers and water tanks to help people in Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Ca Mau, Long An, and Kien Giang provinces. All water purifiers and tanks will be installed in places where people can easily get water to drink for free.

Water shortages are rampant, with 95,000 families left without fresh water

In addition, INSEE Vietnam, in association with Tuoi Tre News, sponsored 500 tons of INSEE Extra Durable cement to support the building of anti-saline intrusion constructions or houses in drought-impacted areas.

INSEE Extra Durable has been specifically researched and developed for environments with high saline intrusion. This is a type of sulfate-resistant cement that helps to prevent the penetration of aggressive agents such as groundwater, acids, and alkali which corrode steel reinforcements and affect the quality of the concrete and the sustainability of the work. Its quality has been verified by large projects such as Cai Mep-Thi Vai International Terminal, Long Son Petrochemical Complex, and Bac Lieu Offshore Wind Farm.

INSEE Vietnam is a member of Siam City Cement Public Company Limited (SCCC), one of the market leaders in the region's construction materials industry. The company has more than 1,000 employees working at five different cement production sites and is headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since its establishment in 1994, INSEE Vietnam has become one of the leading cement and dry mix producers. It also produces the CONWOOD fibre-cement brand and owns several waste management companies in South Vietnam. INSEE is proud that its high-quality and sustainable products have been used in so many iconic buildings and infrastructure projects, as well as countless housing and commercial developments across South Vietnam. The company sees this as its contribution to the sustainable development of the economy, the environment, and society.

INSEE believes that the world would be a better place if everything built could always make life worth living, a principle that is at the heart of its brand philosophy “Build For Life”.