In conjunction with World Water Day, March 22, The Keppel Group, represented by Keppel Land and Keppel Infrastructure, launched the Living Well initiative in Tien Giang Province in Vietnam, as part of its continuous efforts to provide better access to clean water to communities in the Mekong Delta, where locals have been affected by harsh drought and saltwater intrusion.
Leveraging the Group’s expertise in water solutions, Keppel will provide Phu Dong and Tan Thanh communes in Tien Giang with water filtration systems capable of producing 12,000 liters of clean water a day for domestic use. The initiative is estimated to positively impact the lives of over 20,000 local villagers in Tien Giang. In April, Keppel will deliver another water filtration system to a commune in Long An to support another 10,000 villagers.
The handover ceremonies, held in Phu Dong and Tan Thanh communes in Tien Giang, were officiated by Mr Nguyen Thanh Luan, Deputy Secretary of Tien Giang Provincial Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, together with Mr Joseph Low, President (Vietnam) of Keppel Land, and in the presence of over 150 local residents, who were among the first to collect the filtered water.
Mr Joseph Low, President (Vietnam) of Keppel Land, said, “We are heartened to be able to make a difference to the livelihoods of drought-affected communities in the Mekong Delta through the Living Well initiative, which harnesses the capabilities of the Keppel Group to provide solutions for sustainable urbanisation.
“This initiative is aligned with Keppel’s commitment to sustainability and our ongoing efforts to uplift the communities where we operate. We hope that our efforts will not only lead to a positive impact on the lives of the locals in Tien Giang, but also raise awareness about the impact of climate change, which is one of the key causes of drought and saltwater intrusion.”
In 2022, Keppel launched Living Well in Dai Hoa Loc and Bao Thuan communes in Ben Tre Province, providing water filtration systems that offer about 20,000 villagers better access to clean water. The project took a year of planning, including land surveys, inspection and testing of the systems.
Following Living Well’s success in Ben Tre, and with the support from its media partner Tien Phong newspaper, Keppel is expanding the initiative to Tien Giang and Long An, two of most drought-stricken areas in the Mekong Delta.
Beyond Vietnam, Keppel plans to replicate this initiative in other markets in Asia where the company has a presence.
Keppel Land, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corporation, entered Vietnam in the early 1990s and has grown to become one of the largest foreign investors and contributors to urban development in the country, with more than 20 projects and total registered investment capital of about US$3.5 billion. The company is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen, contributing to and enriching the lives of local communities wherever it operates.
