Quenching the thirst of the people in the mountainous region of Tan Ky.

Thanks to funding from the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, Tan Ky district has been able to bring water from the high mountains to quench the thirst of thousands of households in Dong Van and Tien Ky communes.

Hear and see in Khe Son

Khe Son is the name of a hamlet with 322 households and 1,335 inhabitants of the Thai ethnic group in Dong Van commune, Tan Ky district. The day we arrived coincided with the Tan Ky District People's Committee inspecting the newly completed seventh water reservoir. Along with officials from Tan Ky district, Dong Van commune, and Khe Son hamlet, there were also young children. Seeing the children happily playing in the clear water brought joy to the people of Khe Son hamlet.

Khe Son mountain area, Dong Van commune, Tan Ky district. Photo: Nguyen Dao

Beside those crystal-clear streams, Mr. Vi Xuan Tiep, the head of Khe Son hamlet, recounted that for many years, the issue of clean water for daily use had been very difficult for the people in the hamlet. Digging wells, or even drilling wells in their gardens, proved very challenging to find a water source. Most people in Khe Son have limited financial resources , and with the cost of 25-30 million VND per well, not every household could afford it.

A delegation of officials from Tan Ky district and Dong Van commune inspected the quality of water storage tank No. 7 in Khe Son hamlet. Photo: Nguyen Dao.

However, even with the money to hire well drillers, few households can find a reliable water source for daily use. Being from a mountainous region, the village has streams and springs that could be used temporarily, but they dry up during the hot, dry season.

Faced with the difficulties of accessing clean water for the people, for many years the Party Branch and the Steering Committee of Khe Son hamlet have proposed to higher authorities to find a way to bring water from the mountain. In 2023, the desired project was finally approved. This led to the construction of a system of reservoirs and sedimentation tanks on the mountain, and the installation of pipelines to bring water to seven reservoirs distributed throughout the hamlet's residential areas, ensuring sufficient water supply for the people.

Children in Khe Son hamlet stand by the cool stream that has just been channeled down from the mountain. Photo: Nguyen Dao.

“The people are very happy to have access to water from the mountains for daily use. The reservoirs are located near people's homes for shared use, and families who need water can hire technicians to lay pipes connecting to the pre-installed valves in the reservoirs to bring water to their homes…,” Village Head Vi Xuan Tiep happily said.

Mr. Vi Xuan Tiep - Head of Khe Son hamlet. Photo: Nhat Lan

Ms. Ha Thi Doai's family lives only about 20 meters from water reservoir number 7. As a relatively well-off household in Khe Son hamlet, her family had previously dug a well and hired well-drilling workers to obtain water. However, like Hamlet Head Vi Xuan Tiep, Ms. Doai recounted many difficulties regarding clean water: “For many years, the people have had to use water from streams and springs. My family is no exception; we have to go to the streams and springs to bathe, wash clothes, and carry water back for daily use and drinking…”

Ms. Ha Thi Doai converses with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Nhat Lan

The reason for this, as Mrs. Doai recounted, is that the area is nothing but rocks. Because of the abundance of rocks, digging wells is arduous. Even worse, despite the effort and money spent digging deep, finding water isn't always guaranteed. Many families in the village dug wells but couldn't find water. Later, there was a movement to drill through the rock to find water, with some families drilling 5-7 holes without success. Mrs. Doai's family was luckier because they drilled in the right spot where water was found. "My family was the first in the village to drill a well. It was 6-7 years ago, and it cost us 25 million dong back then…," Mrs. Doai said.

When asked if she would use water from the mountains now that she had a drilled well, Mrs. Doai smiled happily and said, "Of course. Because it's a remote and difficult area, the authorities have to bring water from the mountains for us to use. I'm very grateful to them. I'm even planning to install a pipeline to bring water to my house. The water from the mountains is reliable, and I don't have to pay for electricity..."

Born and raised in Dong Van, Nguyen Van Khanh, the Party Secretary of Dong Van commune, is well aware of the people's "thirst" for clean water. According to Khanh, Dong Van commune is a place where droughts occur even before summer. The most difficult situations are in Khe Son and Dong Tam hamlets. Because these areas are rocky, with rock beneath the topsoil, even drilling deep into the ground makes it difficult to find water sources.

Nguyen Van Khanh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Van commune, speaks with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper. Photo: Nhat Lan

Then, it was explained that through labor and production, the people knew exactly how many streams and ravines there were in the high mountains; they knew which streams and ravines were large enough to build dams, reservoirs, and install pipelines to bring water down. For many years, the commune's Party committee and government had hoped that the higher authorities would allow the Khe Son and Dong Tam hamlets to implement a project to bring clean water from the mountains to the people. And then, the Khe Son hamlet had a project to bring water from Na Huoi waterfall on Bu Khua mountain; the Dong Tam hamlet had a project to bring water from Chieng ravine on Bu Chieng mountain…

Water supply system sourced from high mountains.

Standing on the edge of Khe Son hamlet, one can see the Bu Khua mountain range. When asked by officials from Tan Ky district and Dong Van commune how they could find a suitable location with flat ground to build a reservoir system on those towering mountains, the question was:

The Na Huoi waterfall area on Bu Khua mountain. Photo: Nguyen Dao

According to Nguyen Van Khanh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Van commune, when the commune learned that the Khe Son and Dong Tam hamlets would be included in the water supply project, they mobilized officials to coordinate with the hamlet's forces to go up the mountain, following the Chieng and Na Huoi streams to find suitable locations with sufficient ground for construction. For example, in Bu Khua mountain, two suitable locations were found during these trips up the mountain. Subsequently, Tan Ky district organized a working group to survey and reassess the site, and decided to choose a higher location, about 800 meters above sea level, to ensure sufficient water pressure to deliver water to the reservoirs in the residential areas.

Knowing that the head of Khe Son hamlet, Vi Xuan Tiep, was involved in surveying the construction site for the waterworks on Bu Khua mountain, we asked him for guidance on using a drone to capture images. On the morning of June 10, 2025, the weather was clear. Thanks to this, the drone clearly showed the silvery white curtain of water at Na Huoi waterfall, the spillway system, and the cluster of reservoir structures.

Na Huoi Waterfall on Bu Khua Mountain. Photo: Nguyen Dao

To help us understand the project, officials from the Tan Ky District Investment and Construction Project Management Board explained that on Bu Khua mountain, a water spillway nearly 5m high, 1.4m high, and 0.8m wide at the top is being built, with sturdy reinforced concrete retaining walls ranging from 4 to 7m in length. Connected to the spillway is a large reservoir with three compartments for sedimentation, filtration, and storage. The pipeline from the mountain reservoir to the seven reservoirs in Khe Son village has a total length of 5,082m. Therefore, the pipeline uses HDPE PE100-PN20 pipes with diameters of 0.9mm and 0.75mm; the pipes leading to the seven reservoirs also use the same material, with a diameter of 0.5mm, to ensure sufficient water for the local population.

Spillway and reservoir system on Bu Khua mountain. Photo: Nguyen Dao

As an official of the Tan Ky District Investment and Construction Project Management Board directly involved in implementing water projects in the high mountains, Mr. Phan Van Nha stated that these projects are linked to the goal of strengthening infrastructure, meeting the needs of domestic water supply for the people in the area, and gradually achieving the goals of building new rural areas.

From the end of 2023 to the present, along with the two hamlets of Khe Son and Dong Tam in Dong Van commune, the Board has also implemented two similar water supply systems in Tien Ky commune, providing quality water for schools, health stations, and residents of Chieng and Phay villages in Thai Minh commune.

Mr. Phan Van Nha further explained: “Similar to the project for Khe Son village, the projects in Dong Tam hamlet, Chieng village, and Phay - Thai Minh village are also built on mountains to bring water down. On those high mountains, we have to find suitable locations for the projects, transport materials up to build the water spillway system, and the sedimentation and filtration system to ensure capacity and water quality…”

Leaving Khe Son hamlet, we visited Phay - Thai Minh village. Here, we also heard about the difficulties regarding access to clean water. Because the water from dug and drilled wells is unsanitary, the people of Phay - Thai Minh village have been eagerly awaiting government assistance. Around 2008-2009, leaders from the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee visited the people and, together with the district and commune authorities, surveyed and identified a water source in the high mountains that could meet the people's needs, with the aim of implementing a clean water project.

Residential area of ​​Chiềng and Phảy villages - Thái Minh commune, Tiên Kỳ district. Photo: Nguyễn Đạo

However, bringing water to a large residential area in Tien Ky commune requires significant funding. This phase faced many difficulties, so the idea remained in its inception but could not be implemented. Fortunately, when funding became available from the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Regions, the water project was proposed and approved by higher authorities.

In Phay - Thai Minh village, the Party Secretary of the village, La Van Duc, was one of those who went up the mountain to survey the location for the construction of the water spillway and reservoir system. Duc recounted that when the commune learned of the project to provide clean water to the people, they immediately organized a survey. Getting up the mountain wasn't difficult, as there were trails used by the villagers. However, finding the construction site and determining the appropriate route for installing the water pipes was very complicated. This was because they had to overcome many high and dangerous cliffs.

Secretary of the Party Branch of Phay - Thai Minh village, Mr. La Van Duc. Photo: Nhat Lan

“I led the district survey team along the forest trail used by the locals. For someone familiar with forest trails, it only takes a little over an hour, but for the team, it took several hours. The chosen location for the spillway is about 850m high, while the reservoir is located a little lower…,” Mr. Duc briefly explained.

In Phay - Thai Minh village, joining the Party Branch Secretary La Van Duc was the Head of the Front Committee's Working Subcommittee, Vi Van Ngoc. According to Mr. Ngoc, it has now been the second year that the people of Phay - Thai Minh village have been using clean water from the state-funded project. The water, sourced from the mountains, is stable and of good quality, unlike most well water which is contaminated with lime and alum.

Head of the Front Committee for Community Work in Phay - Thai Minh village, Vi Van Ngoc. Photo: Nhat Lan

Mr. Vi Van Ngoc shared: “The people are very happy because they no longer have to worry about drinking water. The water from the mountains is basically stable, ensuring quality without incurring any costs…”

"Projects that truly benefit the people"

As an official assigned to oversee the projects bringing water from the high mountains to the people of Dong Tam, Khe Son, Chieng, and Phay villages in Thai Minh commune, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuc, Vice Chairman of the Tan Ky District People's Committee, said that these are "projects that are truly beneficial to the people."

Construction of a spillway and water reservoir on Bu Khua mountain. Photo: Contributor.

A delegation from Tan Ky district went up Bu Khua mountain to inspect the water supply project for the people of Khe Son village, Dong Van commune. Photo: Contributor.

To implement these projects, Tan Ky district, together with the former Ethnic Affairs Committee and the two communes of Dong Van and Tien Ky, conducted thorough feasibility studies. This included assessing water quality, surveying construction sites, and determining funding sources for the program, before proposing to the Provincial People's Committee for approval. During implementation, Tan Ky district set high standards for quality and effectiveness. Specifically, it required ensuring the quality of water spillways, reservoirs, filtration systems, pipelines, and outlets; and ensuring that all residents in the project area who needed the water could benefit from the project.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuc - Vice Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee (far left) inspects the design of water supply system No. 7, Khe Son hamlet, Dong Van commune. Photo: Nguyen Dao

At the same time, the district assigned responsibility to the Project Management Board, as well as the consulting unit and contractor, to absolutely ensure that the investment project is not inefficient and does not waste resources. During the project implementation process, the district leaders, relevant departments, and the two communes are responsible for regularly inspecting and supervising the progress, quality, and effectiveness of the project. Thanks to this, the water supply projects, despite being constructed under unfavorable conditions, have all been effective, ensuring the essential needs for domestic water for the ethnic minority and mountainous people in Dong Van and Tien Ky communes.

Deputy Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee Nguyen Van Thuc further shared: “We are very pleased that these projects have been effective, improving the quality of drinking water and protecting the health of people in the project areas. Through the implementation of these projects, we have also contributed to building trust among the people, especially those in the project areas, in the specific policies of the Party and the State…”

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/giai-con-khat-cho-dan-miet-nui-tan-ky-10299744.html