Hundreds of households are longing for clean water.

(QBĐT) - In recent years, hundreds of households in Hong Thuy commune (Le Thuy district) have been facing increasingly severe problems with their drinking water being contaminated with alum. Especially during the hot season, clean water is always a pressing issue for the local people.

Living with alum water

Having lived in Moc Dinh village, Hong Thuy commune for nearly 50 years, Mrs. Pham Thi Thuyet (born in 1961) is very familiar with the water source for daily use: wells drilled on the sand dunes behind the village. However, in recent years, this water source has become increasingly contaminated with alum, with visible streaks of yellowish sediment at the bottom of the storage tank, causing Mrs. Thuyet great concern.

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Pham Thi Thuyet (born in 1961), from Moc Dinh village, Hong Thuy commune (Le Thuy district), expressed her concern about the increasing levels of alum contamination in the water source.

Ms. Thuyet said that the water pumped from the well has to be stored in sand-filtered tanks, but after only 2-3 days, sediment accumulates and gives off a sour smell. This situation has only occurred in recent years; before that, the water was clear and people used it for daily life.

"Because the water is increasingly contaminated with alum, people mainly use it for watering plants and washing, and laundry is limited because fabrics deteriorate and dye stains quickly. For daily use and drinking, they have to buy bottled water," Ms. Thuyet said.

Currently, the villagers in Moc Dinh hamlet can only cope by building water filtration tanks for temporary use, or those with better financial means can purchase water filters. However, the quality of the water source remains a cause for concern. Many families in more difficult circumstances have to transport water in barrels from other places to store for daily use.

For many years, Ms. Hoang Thi Tam (born in 1978) has had to buy a water filter for her daily drinking and cooking needs. While opening the filter to check it, Ms. Tam sighed and said that she has to replace the filter cartridges every two weeks because of the thick layer of limescale. She knows it's expensive, but what can she do? Using water directly from the well for cooking is not reassuring.

Every week, Ms. Hoang Thi Tam, from Moc Dinh village, has to check and replace the filter cartridges in her family's water filter.

Mr. Hoang Van Duong, head of Moc Dinh village, said: "Out of more than 360 households in the village, over half have to use heavily contaminated water for daily life. Many households see a visible film of alum floating on the surface when pumping water into their tanks. This situation has only occurred in the last 5-7 years, causing concern among villagers about their health, especially that of young children."

Longing for clean water

Village head Hoang Van Duong of Moc Dinh added that, due to concerns about the increasingly severe contamination of the water source with alum, which affects health, villagers have expressed their hopes at village meetings and voter consultations that the authorities will pay attention and create conditions for them to have access to clean water for daily use.

The problem of water contamination with alum is not only present in Moc Dinh village but also in other villages in the area. According to statistics from the Hong Thuy Commune People's Committee, approximately 600 households in the commune, mainly in Moc Dinh and Moc Thuong 1 villages, are most severely affected.

According to Pham Minh Huan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hong Thuy commune, the commune is aware of this situation, but bringing clean water to the people requires significant costs, exceeding the local resources. Previously, the commune had contacted and called on investors to survey and build a clean water plant in the area to serve the needs of the people, but this has not yet been implemented.

To ensure the health of the people, the local authorities are currently focusing on raising awareness and advising residents to use traditional filters made of clean sand or water purifiers before use. However, in the long term, it is necessary for higher levels of government to pay attention to and invest in a clean water system to serve the daily lives of the local people.

According to Mr. Tuan, the clean water pipeline system has now reached Gia Ninh commune ( Quang Ninh province), bordering Hong Thuy commune. Local residents are eagerly awaiting investment in a clean water supply system to serve their daily needs and ensure their health.

Xuan Phu-Thanh Tung

Source: https://baoquangbinh.vn/xa-hoi/202505/hang-tram-ho-dan-mong-moi-nuoc-sach-2226638/