Residents of Nha Be are frustrated by repeated water cuts.

From April until now, as Ho Chi Minh City officially entered the hot and dry season with a series of record-breaking heatwaves, thousands of households in Nha Be commune have been suffering due to continuous water cuts.

Tap water is yellow like tea.

In recent days, many households in Nha Be and Hiep Phuoc communes have experienced cloudy, yellowish water resembling tea.

Since May 20th, residents of Lap Phuc residential area in Phuoc Kien have had to live with murky, dirty, yellowish water.

PHOTO: DS

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, a resident of Lap Phuc residential area, Phuoc Kien, the water has been continuously yellow and cloudy since the 20th. Worried that the water tank, which hadn't been cleaned for a long time, might be affecting water quality, her family had it cleaned and flushed, after which the water became slightly clearer. However, the yellow and cloudy water continues to occur, causing her concern.

"Afraid of affecting my family's health, I have to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking. Tap water is only used for personal hygiene. We have reported this to the local authorities, but there has been no positive change yet," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien.

Not only Mrs. Lien's household, but many other households in Nha Be and Hiep Phuoc communes have also experienced similar situations for several days, causing great frustration and concern among residents about their health due to having to use contaminated water.

According to Mr. Le Van Lap, Head of Hamlet 70, Nha Be Commune, residents have complained a lot about the water being yellow, cloudy, and continuously polluted for several days. His own family is experiencing a similar situation, and even after cleaning the water tank, the water remains cloudy and the yellowish, dirty water continues to recur. Because his family has young children, he has to buy bottled water for use, using tap water only for bathing, washing clothes, and personal hygiene. Mr. Le Van Lap added that about half a month ago, a similar situation occurred in the Long Kieng Bridge area, Nha Be Commune, Ho Chi Minh City.

"We reported this to higher authorities and only then learned that the Nha Be water supply company was flushing out the 500-meter pipeline near Long Kien Bridge to increase pressure, but the water was still not up to standard for connection to the network. Ideally, the water supply company should have notified residents in advance before doing this so they could prepare. However, people only found out when the incident occurred. After residents complained, the water supply unit sent people to flush out the water at the hydrants. However, instead of flushing out all the water at the hydrants, the water supply unit only flushed out one," said Mr. Le Van Lap.

'Living in fear' because of constant worries about water outages.

Sharing the same frustration over the water supply, thousands of residents living in Saigon South Residences (Phuoc Kien, Nha Be) breathed a sigh of relief after more than half a month of rotating water cuts between buildings.

The frequent water outages at Saigon South Residences are causing residents a lot of stress.

According to the Saigon South Residences Management Board, the reason for the water cut was "to carry out comprehensive repairs and maintenance of the building's water supply system to thoroughly address issues related to water pressure." However, the frequent water outages, spanning from April 22nd to May 7th, caused considerable hardship for residents.

Specifically, the rotating water cut-off schedule was detailed: On April 22nd and 23rd, water was cut off from 9 AM to 12 PM on floors 5 and 6 of blocks E and G. The peak was on April 24th and 25th, when the entire apartment building experienced a complete water cut-off from 11 PM to 5 AM the following morning. This overnight water cut-off continued to plague residents until May 7th.

Although it was said that water would be available at 5 AM, in reality, the outage sometimes lasted longer than expected, and people didn't get water again until 7 or 8 AM. For those working regular office hours or families with young children who have to go to school early, their daily lives were completely disrupted.

Before residents could even breathe a sigh of relief after the lengthy maintenance period, on May 9th, they were once again left bewildered, asking each other, "Is the water out on the 9th floor of Block D?" as the water supply in their homes suddenly disappeared. Helpless exclamations like "Really?" flooded community groups, accompanied by bitter reminders like, "Everyone, stock up on drinking water!"

Ms. Mai Khanh, a resident of Saigon South Residences, said: "Water outages not only occur according to schedule but also unexpectedly due to technical problems, disrupting the daily lives of residents. In one incident, many residents were suddenly left without water completely even before the announced time. People expressed their frustration, saying, 'The announcement said the water would be cut off at 11 a.m., why is it already off?'"

Meanwhile, leaked information from the technical team about a "burst water pipe in the basement between floors 10-20" left residents bewildered and unprepared. Even after the water supply was restored, the management had to warn residents about the possibility of localized yellowish-cloudy water that needed to be flushed for 1-2 minutes.

"Previously, I lived in an old apartment building in District 4 for 10 years and never experienced a water cut. But after saving up and moving here – to a high-end apartment building in Phu My Hung, where the service fees aren't cheap – I've only been here for two years and have already suffered six water outages. Every little thing requires maintenance, every little thing causes a pipe to burst, it's become a nightmare. Every time I see a notification in the apartment group chat, I dread another water outage," Mai Khanh expressed her disappointment.

Right near Saigon South Residences, residents living in Phu Hoang Anh apartment building (Nguyen Huu Tho Street, Nha Be) also complained about frequent water cuts, all due to pipeline repairs.

Thanh Nien newspaper has forwarded the concerns of residents in the Nha Be area to the Saigon Water Supply Corporation (SAWACO) and will continue to provide feedback to readers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguoi-dan-nha-be-buc-xuc-vi-lien-tuc-bi-cut-nuoc-185260524111810185.htm