Hundreds of households are "thirsty" for clean water

Struggling with lack of clean water…

He took us to “witness” the “barely there” water pipes of many households in Nguyet Ang village. Nguyen Dai Tan, head of Nguyet Ang village, said that the lack of clean water has been going on for many years in the village. The clean water source connected to households’ homes is not only available sometimes, but also not available sometimes, but for many days, people have had no clean water to use, many households have had to buy water for use.

When we arrived, Mrs. Tu Thi Duat, from Nguyet Ang village, was struggling to adjust the pump to pump water but no water came out. According to Mrs. Duat, for many days, her family had no clean water to use, all activities depended on well water and had to buy water to drink. “Although our house is said to have clean water pipes, for many years now, we have always had to live in a state of water shortage, the water source is sometimes available, sometimes not, sometimes completely out of water. The sun is as hot as fire but there is no water to use, it is very miserable. At night, my husband and I have to take turns to pump water, many times we pump for a long time but there is no water, in the morning we find the pump has burned out,” said Mrs. Duat.

The lack of clean water has been happening for many years in Nguyet Ang village, Tan Ninh commune.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dai Tan, the entire village currently has 450 households and most of them have been living without water for many years. The clean water pipeline system to the village, which was invested many years ago, is now degraded.

Since 2020, the water source has been unstable, with frequent long-term water shortages. During peak times, water drips and in recent days there has been almost no clean water to use. Every house in the village has a water tank, with pipes connected to the roof to collect rainwater for use. Every family has to use a vacuum pump to pump water, and it can only be pumped at night. When there is water at night, it takes all night to pump a little bit to use. Since the beginning of the dry season, many households have burned out 2-3 pumps because there was no water when pumping.

In other localities, people only pay for clean water, but in Nguyet Ang village, people have to pay for water according to regulations and bear the additional cost of electricity when using pumps to draw water. Currently, many households in the village have to pump well water for daily activities, but the water source is contaminated with alum and is not hygienic. Without clean water, people have to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking.

“My family has been without water for many days. There is no tap water, no well, my family can only buy water to use. The weather is hot, but there is no water, so we have to use it sparingly. There is no greater suffering than that...”, said a resident of Nguyet Ang village.

Many families live far from the main pipeline system, and the terrain is high, so the lack of clean water for a long time has made many people frustrated. "Without clean water, my family had to pump irrigation water into the house to wash clothes, bathe, and even wash vegetables for cooking," said Ms. Tu Thi Chung, Nguyet Ang village.

Lacking clean water, Ms. Tu Thi Duat, Nguyet Ang village, has to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking.

Mr. Nguyen Dai Tan said that the situation of unstable clean water supply, sometimes available and sometimes not, has been happening for many years in Nguyet Ang village. People have "cried out to heaven" and reported at many meetings but have only received promises and no drastic solutions. In the coming time, the hot weather will continue, if there is no water to use, people's lives will be greatly affected.

Chairman of Tan Ninh Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Hoan: "Currently, all villages in Tan Ninh Commune have installed new pipeline systems, only Nguyet Ang Village is still using old, degraded pipelines, so the water supply to households is not stable. The Commune has worked with Quang Binh Water Supply Joint Stock Company on this issue and the company has also agreed to replace the water supply pipeline to Nguyet Ang Village in the near future."

Will be fixed soon

According to Chairman of the Board of Directors of Quang Binh Water Supply Joint Stock Company Le Anh Dung, in recent years, the company has invested in replacing new water pipes in many localities in Quang Ninh district. Particularly in Nguyet Ang village, Tan Ninh commune, the water system is still using old pipes, so water regulation is difficult, especially during peak hours and in areas with high terrain.

Explaining this issue, Mr. Dung said that the unit is responsible for providing water in a large area, the people's demand for clean water is increasing, while the current water supply conditions are difficult, so they cannot meet the people's needs.

After understanding the feedback from the people of Nguyet Ang village, the company conducted a survey and worked with the People's Committee of the commune, completing the paperwork to implement the construction of water pipes to the households as soon as possible. In principle, to invest in construction in the area, there must be consensus from the locality, so the company has prepared documents, drawn up drawings of the route, boundaries, completed the design and construction documents on site... After the local government works with the people and receives consensus, the company will start implementing.

“It is expected that the company will invest in a main water pipeline system for the entire Nguyet Ang village with a length of about 4,000m and strive to complete it in the second quarter of 2025,” said Mr. Dung.