Abandoned reservoir, people go to streams to get water for daily use
(Baonghean.vn) - Although living at the headwaters of many streams, 400 households in Huu Lap commune (Ky Son - Nghe An) still lack clean water for daily use.
Early in the morning, Mrs. Kha Thi Ton, Xop Thap village, Huu Lap commune, carries a backpack full of plastic cans and bottles to Huoi Nhi stream to draw clean water from small, homemade wells made by lining them with rocks to serve the whole family's meals.
Ms. Ton said: “Although there is a water system to the village, the source of the water is the livestock grazing area of the highland communes of Bao Nam and Muong Long. The water has a foul smell and cannot be used for cooking or drinking, only for bathing and washing. The tank water is too dirty, so the villagers have to create small water holes near the stream to get water for daily use.”
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| A shallow well created by locals near the stream to filter water through holes in rocks and gravel. Photo: Lu Phu |
Mr. Lo Dinh Thu - Chairman of the People's Committee of Huu Lap Commune, said: "The commune has over 600 households living in 6 villages. All villages have invested in building domestic water systems since 2001 and 2002. However, currently these domestic water projects are facing many problems. The source of domestic water projects in 4 villages including Xop Nhi, Xop Thang, Xop Thap and Na village is wastewater from the fields of Bao Nam commune and Noong O highland village of Huu Lap commune. The water is not treated and is led directly to the villages, so it often smells of mud, is cloudy and has a lot of residue. This rainy season is bearable, but during the season when people plow and plant, the cloudy water cannot be used."
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| Meanwhile, clean water projects in the village are wasteful because the water from the source is dirty. Photo: Lu Phu |
Digging small holes in streams to get water, or finding small water sources after the rainy season to bring them back for use are only temporary solutions for more than 400 households living in 4 low-lying villages of Huu Lap commune. The long-term solution is to fix, treat upstream water and promote the effectiveness of domestic water projects that have been invested with billions of dong.
