80 households in Phuoc Chi commune need clean water.

For decades, many households in Binh Phu hamlet, Phuoc Chi commune, Tay Ninh province have lacked clean water for drinking and daily life. Residents have petitioned the local government and relevant authorities, but to this day, they still do not have access to clean water as they hoped.

The water filtration system behind Mr. Luc's house.

The water source is contaminated with alum.

Binh Phu hamlet is one of the hamlets along the Vam Co Dong river in Phuoc Chi commune. This area is heavily affected by alum contamination. Water from dug wells and boreholes must be passed through alum filtration equipment, but it still does not meet the needs of users.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luc, residing in Hamlet 4, Binh Phu village, recounted: “From my grandfather's and father's generations until now, the water here has been unusable. Before the war, we dug a pond to collect rainwater, but it was still unusable due to severe pollution. From this area to Ong Sai bridge, access to clean water is very difficult.”

For decades, Mr. Luc's family has implemented various measures such as drilling wells over 300 meters deep and investing in filtration systems. However, the filtered water from these systems is still contaminated and can only be used for washing hands and feet or laundry; it is unsuitable for cooking or drinking.

To have clean water, Mr. Luc had to invest in a small water filter for his home. Every day, he takes water from the large water filtration system and passes it through the small filter. However, the amount of water obtained from the small filter is quite small, only enough for one person's daily bathing needs. For cooking and drinking water, his family has to buy bottled filtered water from the market.

Mr. Luc suggested that the local government and relevant agencies invest in a clean water pipeline from the intersection of Binh Phu hamlet to Ong Sai bridge for the people's use. "This is what the people here most desire," he said.

Water collected from the large water filtration system is only for washing hands and feet and doing laundry; it is not suitable for drinking or cooking.

A few dozen meters from Mr. Luc's family is the household of Mr. Le Van Ca, who is also worried about the lack of clean water. Mr. Ca said that in 1990, he and some other residents went to the commune's People's Committee to petition the local government for support in providing clean water and electricity. For more than ten years, electricity has been provided, but the clean water problem remains unresolved. Given this situation, Mr. Ca petitioned: "The wells have become contaminated with alum over time, harming our health. I hope the government will pay attention to bringing clean water to the people."

Following a petition from residents of Binh Phu hamlet, the People's Committee of Phuoc Chi commune sent a document forwarding the voters' opinions before the 8th and 9th sessions of the Commune People's Council (12th term, 2021-2026) to the Center for Irrigation and Clean Water (hereinafter referred to as the Center), under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, with the following content: "Voters of Binh Phu hamlet, Phuoc Chi commune, request the installation of an additional water filtration system from the intersection of Binh Phu hamlet to Ong Sai bridge, serving 80 households living along this road so that people have access to clean water."

Every day, Mr. Luc has to filter each bottle of water before he can bathe.

Waiting for clean water

On August 8th, the Center for Irrigation and Clean Water, in coordination with the People's Committee of Phuoc Chi Commune, surveyed the current water supply situation in Binh Phu Hamlet and the needs of the local people. The survey revealed that 80 households in the section from the intersection of Binh Phu Hamlet to Ong Sai Bridge require clean water for daily use. These households are far apart, the area is sparsely populated, and the proposed location currently lacks a water supply pipeline. Investment and installation of 6km of water supply pipeline (3km on each side of the road) is needed. The estimated cost for investment and installation of the water supply pipeline is approximately 900 million VND.

However, the Center responded that due to the large investment required, they have not yet balanced the necessary funds to ensure the investment and installation of the pipeline in the current phase. To facilitate access to clean water for households in the area, the Center requested the People's Committee of Phuoc Chi commune to compile a specific list of households in need of water and send it to the Center as a basis for proposing a project to upgrade and expand the water supply pipeline using legitimate funding sources (if any), ensuring the provision of clean water to the people, protecting their health and social welfare.

In cases where households need access to clean water from the water supply system as soon as possible, the Center will assist with water meters and send technical staff to connect the water pipes. Regarding the investment and installation costs of the water pipeline, the Phuoc Chi Commune People's Committee is requested to consult with residents before making any payments.

Each day, Mr. Luc filters about 20 bottles of water, just enough to meet the bathing needs of one person.

Regarding the aforementioned issue, Tran Minh Tung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuoc Chi Commune and Director of the Commune's Public Administrative Service Center, stated that the Commune People's Committee will review the needs and current situation, report to the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Environment, and the Department of Construction, and propose the allocation of funds from the new rural development program for clean water to support the commune in connecting water pipes to provide clean water to the people.

Furthermore, the commune recommends that the Provincial People's Committee integrate this content into projects related to remote, mountainous, and border areas to broaden the scope of support.

Mr. Tran Minh Tung added that while waiting for government support, the commune's People's Committee plans to coordinate with the Youth Union, the Women's Union, the Veterans Association, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the commune to mobilize philanthropists to provide funding or preferential loans to build a temporary clean water system.

In addition, the local authorities will strengthen efforts to promote and mobilize social resources to install centralized water filtration systems in densely populated areas so that many households can use them.

Mr. Le Van Ca drilled a well to a depth of over 300 meters; however, he is worried that prolonged use will lead to iron contamination.

With the attention of the local government, relevant agencies, and the aforementioned solutions, it is hoped that in the near future, 80 households in Binh Phu hamlet, Phuoc Chi commune will soon have access to clean water.

Ocean – Engineer

Source: https://baolongan.vn/80-ho-dan-xa-phuoc-chi-can-nuoc-sach-a204351.html