In the scorching summer sun, the road leading to Hamlet 3, Trung Thuan Commune, is covered in white dust. The prolonged heat has caused the ground to crack and the trees to wither. But what worries the people here is not only the harsh weather, but also the increasing scarcity of clean water for daily use.
Mrs. Phan Thi Bay's family is one of dozens of households in the village that have been living without clean water for many years during the dry season. Their water tank is empty, and the well in front of their house, once the family's water source, has dried up during the dry season in recent years.
Mrs. Bay's family has to buy water from elsewhere to meet their daily needs, costing about 1 million VND per month. For many rural households, this is a significant expense, especially given the current economic difficulties. Therefore, water is always used sparingly, prioritizing essential drinking and daily needs.
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| Ms. Phan Thi Bay has to buy water and store it in tanks for use - Photo: TT |
Ms. Phan Thi Bay said: "For many years, every time the hot season comes, my family is worried because we don't have enough water for daily use. When there are family gatherings or when many children and grandchildren come home, it's even more difficult; we have to borrow buckets and containers from neighbors to store water. We just hope to have a stable water source soon so that life will be less difficult and we won't have to worry every time the drought lasts for a long time."
It's not just Mrs. Bay's family; out of nearly 100 households in Hamlet 3, more than 60 regularly face severe water shortages. In response to this situation, many households have proactively invested in drilling deep wells to search for groundwater. However, in many cases, despite spending tens of millions of dong, they still cannot find water or the water source is too scarce to meet their needs.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Head of Hamlet 3, said: “For many years, the people in the hamlet have always faced difficulties with access to clean water, especially during the peak of the hot season. Although we have proactively tried many ways to overcome this, these are only temporary solutions. What the people most hope for is that the authorities at all levels will soon pay attention to investing in a centralized water supply system or expanding the clean water system so that people have a stable water source and no longer have to struggle every time the dry season comes.”
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| Many households have dug wells, but the water supply is insufficient to meet their needs - Photo: TT |
The shortage of clean water is not only occurring in Hamlet 3 but is also widespread in many other residential areas in Trung Thuan commune. The entire commune currently has 15 hamlets with more than 4,000 households, but the clean water system has only been invested in 8 hamlets located along the main transportation routes.
Villages located far from the center have not yet been connected to the water supply system, resulting in only about 36% of households having access to clean water. This infrastructure gap means that many households, despite their strong desire for clean water, still have to rely on well water or buy water from elsewhere.
In the context of climate change, drought and water scarcity are predicted to continue to worsen unless comprehensive and long-term investment solutions are implemented soon.
Mr. Pham Thanh Hue , Head of the Economic Department of Trung Thuan Commune People's Committee, said: “Currently, many residential areas in the commune, especially remote villages, still lack access to the water supply system, causing difficulties for residents in accessing clean water. Given this situation, the local authorities are coordinating with specialized units to review the current infrastructure and assess the needs of each area to develop appropriate investment plans. At the same time, the commune continues to request that competent authorities allocate resources to expand the clean water supply system to disadvantaged areas to meet the needs of residents in the future.”
While many rural areas now have access to clean water for daily use, many households in Trung Thuan commune are still waiting. The lack of clean water not only means difficulties in daily life but also affects the health, environmental hygiene, and quality of life of the people.
Therefore, investing in expanding the clean water supply system to disadvantaged residential areas not only meets the essential needs and legitimate aspirations of the people but is also an urgent requirement to ensure social welfare, improve the quality of life, and create a foundation for the sustainable development of the locality.
Thuy Trang
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202607/mon-moi-cho-nuoc-sach-ae41190/
