The objectives were also relevant to the Government strategy for dealing with issues in the sanitation sector, as spelled out in Decision No. 35 (March 5, 1999), "Ratifying the Orientation for the Development of Urban Sewerage and Drainage in Vietnam up to the Year 2020." This strategy aimed to eliminate the need for Government subsidies through the introduction of wastewater charges, reduce flooding by expanding drainage, introduce wastewater treatment, and strengthen institutional capacity (PAD, p. 2).