According to residents, since the beginning of the 2025 dry season, many areas in Buon Ma Thuot City have experienced continuous water outages. This situation is common in residential areas of Tan Loi ward and the communes of Cu Ebur, Hoa Thuan, and Ea Tu. Water is cut off at various times, leaving residents very unprepared and causing many difficulties and inconveniences in their daily lives.
Ms. L.H.A.'s family (Block 7, Tan Loi Ward) has six members. Recently, the tap water pressure has been weak, insufficient to fill the water tank, forcing her and her husband to carry buckets to their neighbor's well to ask for water. This is also a common situation for many people around her house, who have to buy extra buckets and basins and get up early in the morning to collect clean water. Some people have bought booster pumps to improve the tap water supply, but this is only a temporary solution because booster pumps are ineffective due to the weak water flow.
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| The water supply to a household in Tan Thanh ward (Buon Ma Thuot city) is often very weak. |
Similarly, Mr. N.N.D. (Block 7A, Tan Loi Ward) uses an average of 20-25 cubic meters of water per month. Since January 2025, tap water has been very unreliable, forcing him to use well water. His family's well is also a "lifeline" for many surrounding households during the dry season, because at times, water only flows once every three days, and even then, it's only a trickle, enough for cooking and washing, not enough for bathing, washing clothes, or other daily activities.
A representative from Dak Lak Water Supply Joint Stock Company (DAKWACO) stated that the company currently supplies water to 122,000 customers, including 83,000 in Buon Ma Thuot City. The company has 5 water extraction and production sites with a total capacity of 79,000 m3/day, while the peak demand in the city is approximately 50,000 – 55,000 m3/day. Regarding the water shortage and unstable water supply as reported by residents, the company explained that during the dry season, many families without access to well water switch to using tap water for both daily life and irrigation, leading to occasional water drops.
What concerns residents of Buon Ma Thuot City is that while the water supply is unstable and the service quality is poor, the price of water continues to increase steadily every year. Mr. N.D.P. (Tan Thanh ward) said that his family of four has used an average of about 12 cubic meters of water per month for many years. Since the beginning of 2025, the monthly water bill has increased by 50,000 - 60,000 VND. According to him, the cost of water supply in Dak Lak is not high, and the water pressure has been weaker recently, so the price keeps increasing, which is unreasonable.
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| A water extraction and production facility of Dak Lak Water Supply Joint Stock Company. |
According to our research, on November 29, 2022, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2653/QD-UBND approving the average retail price of clean water and the roadmap for adjusting the retail price of domestic water by DAKWACO. Accordingly, from 2023 to 2025, the retail price of domestic water will be adjusted upwards by approximately 60% cumulatively over the years, ensuring that by 2025, the retail price of domestic water will be adjusted to match the average retail price of clean water (15,258 VND/m3). Specifically, in 2023, the price will increase by 15%; in 2024, the cumulative increase will be 35%; and in 2025, the cumulative increase will also be 35%.
According to Decision No. 08/2023/QD-UBND dated March 7, 2023, of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province on regulating the selling price of clean water for domestic use in Dak Lak province, the selling price of domestic water by DAKWACO to households in Buon Ma Thuot City in 2023 is 10,710 VND/m3; in 2024: 12,600 VND/m3; and in 2025: 14,900 VND/m3. The selling price follows a phased schedule, implemented from January 1st to December 31st of each year, and does not include value-added tax, environmental protection fees, or forest environmental service fees.
According to the Department of Finance, if the schedule had been followed, water prices would have increased in 2020. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the province did not increase prices as directed by the Government to avoid causing further difficulties for the people. According to regulations, water prices must accurately and fully account for all input factors, taking into account the profit of businesses, but must not exceed the Ministry of Finance 's maximum limit of 18,000 VND/m3. The current pricing scheme, developed in 2019 and implemented in 2023, means that input costs will increase, resulting in a disadvantage for water producers.
Currently, DAKWACO no longer purchases commercial water from Buon Ma Thuot Water Supply Company Limited, Dat Ly Water Supply Joint Stock Company, and does not purchase raw water from Ea Sup Ha Lake and Nam Hong - Hop Thanh Lake. Therefore, to ensure the rights of water users, the Department of Finance will advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue a decision adjusting the selling price of clean water for domestic use by DAKWACO in Buon Ma Thuot City, Ea Sup District, Buon Don District, and Ea Na and Dray Sap communes of Krong Ana District. Therefore, the Department requests the company to exclude the aforementioned water purchase cost (accounting for 8.3% of the total clean water production cost) from the price structure according to Decision 08/QD-UBND, dated March 7, 2023, of the Provincial People's Committee.
On February 25, 2025, the People's Committee of Dak Lak province issued Decision 12/2025/QD-UBND, stipulating the assignment of tasks for state management of prices and price appraisal in Dak Lak province.
Accordingly, the Department of Construction was assigned the task of appraising the specific pricing plan for clean water in urban areas from March 7, 2025. However, according to the Department of Construction, clean water is an essential commodity that affects all citizens as well as all production and business activities. Price adjustments must be made based on a comprehensive review and assessment of water pricing plans from wholesalers and producers, the affordability of users, investment efficiency, and business plans of the units, ensuring a harmonious balance of interests between citizens and businesses.
Furthermore, Circular No. 45/2024/TT-BTC dated July 1, 2024, issued by the Ministry of Finance, does not specifically regulate the costs of ensuring water supply, the volume of water used for pricing, the rate of clean water loss, etc., making it difficult to calculate clean water prices. Therefore, the authorities recommend that the Provincial People's Committee maintain the current average retail price for domestic water and the current price adjustment schedule until the end of 2025. Simultaneously, a working group should be established to review the clean water pricing plan in the province, with the participation of relevant departments and agencies.
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202504/nuoc-cap-phap-phu-gia-tang-on-dinh-4971bda/
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