Project stalled, Vinh City residents 'thirsty' for clean water

(Baonghean.vn) - Although the city has a project to provide tap water to suburban communes, the dream of clean water for thousands of households here has not yet come true.

Nearly 10 years after the merger into Vinh City, thousands of households in the city's suburban communes are still "thirsty" for clean water. There is no tap water to use, while the underground water source for daily use is contaminated and depleted.

Mr. Bach Xuan Huong - Kim Hop Hamlet, Nghi An Commune said: For more than 10 years, the well water here has been heavily polluted, with a strong fishy smell. Every time water is pumped into the tank to filter, layers of dirt float up, but my family still has to use it. Many companies that advise on selling water purifiers have come to take samples for testing and concluded that the water here is heavily polluted, contaminated with iron and alum and cannot be used for drinking. However, because there is no clean water, we are forced to use this well water for drinking and daily activities. We are very concerned that in the long term it will affect our health, especially incurable diseases.

Mr. Bach Xuan Huong - Kim Hop Hamlet, Nghi An Commune said: Every time water is pumped into the tank for filtering, dirty scum floats up in layers. Photo: Vo Huyen.

Not only the well water is stained yellow due to dirty water, but also the cooking utensils in Mr. Huong's house are affected by this water source. At the bottom of the kettle that Mr. Huong's family uses to boil water for drinking every day, a thick layer of yellow residue sticks tightly.

Mr. Huong added: The water source is heavily contaminated with iron. I have had to change the location of the well many times. Because after about 2 years of use, the iron sticks to the pipe wall and makes it impossible to pump water. Each time, I have to hire workers to drill and change the location of the well to another place to have water for daily use. The cost of changing the well is very expensive.

Similarly, in Nghi An commune, there are over 2,100 households that do not have access to tap water. For decades, these households have had to struggle to live with underground water sources that are increasingly at risk of pollution and depletion.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Truc - Vice Chairman of Nghi An Commune People's Committee shared: Due to the increasing population in the area, the development of production, the amount of wastewater and daily waste is quite large. The commune does not have a wastewater collection and treatment system, most of which flows directly into the environment, seeping into the ground over time. Therefore, the underground water source here is seriously affected. In many areas, the water is contaminated with iron and alum, but people still have to use it because there is no other water source. The commune hopes that all levels and sectors will pay attention to supporting the construction of a clean water system so that local people can improve and enhance their lives.

People in the suburban communes of Vinh City have to use contaminated water for daily activities. Photo: Vo Huyen

Currently, in Vinh City, there are 4 communes from Nghi Loc and Hung Nguyen districts that have been transferred to Vinh City since 2008, including Nghi Lien, Nghi An, Nghi Duc, Hung Chinh and 4 hamlets of Hung Thinh merged into Vinh Tan, most of the households do not have access to clean water. Of which, in Nghi An and Nghi Duc communes, 100% of households have to use underground water for daily activities. In Nghi Lien and Hung Chinh communes, the rate of using tap water has only reached nearly 60%.

It is worth mentioning that not only groundwater is polluted, but also the unreasonable use of water resources, lack of protection, and limited awareness of people in how to treat the environment such as littering, pesticide bags, and animal carcasses are also factors that make the water resources here increasingly polluted.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong - Nghi Duc commune said: After pumping up the well water in my house, after about 3-4 hours, the water turns yellow and cloudy, with a fishy smell. Every time I finish bathing, I scratch my skin and itch. The water source here has haunted us for decades, affecting every meal and sleep. We just wish that there would be tap water in every household to use to protect the health of the whole family.

The water pumped up left a yellow residue at the bottom of the basin for a while. Photo: Vo Huyen

Faced with the above situation, Vinh City has developed a project to supply tap water to newly merged communes. At the same time, it has coordinated with Nghe An Water Supply Company to survey the specific status of each locality. In Decision No. 3588/QD-UBND-CN dated August 18, 2008, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee also approved the project to supply clean water to urban areas in Nghe An province for the period 2008-2020. However, for unknown reasons, the project has been under construction for many years, but it was not until the end of 2016 that Vinh City People's Committee issued Decision No. 6911/QD-UBND approving the project to build a tap water supply system for communes merged into Vinh City.

The project has a total budget of over 88 billion VND, with a 5-year implementation period. Of which, 56 billion VND is allocated to build a level 2 pipeline network and 32 billion VND to build a level 3 pipeline network, connecting directly to each household in suburban communes without tap water. The capital for the project is mobilized from people's resources, organizations, units, enterprises and the State budget. As for the level 1 pipeline, Nghe An Water Supply Company will implement it according to the plan to develop, replace and renovate the pipeline network. The capital is allocated from the project of the Water Supply System in the vicinity of Vinh city and Nam Cam Industrial Park.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thang - Head of Vinh City Urban Management Department shared: The investment in the tap water supply system was previously mainly undertaken by the State budget. However, if only relying on the State budget for investment, the construction time would be prolonged, and the people's demand for tap water would not be met in a timely manner. Therefore, Vinh City mobilized resources to invest in the construction of a tap water supply system from the people and agencies and enterprises in the newly merged communes under the motto "The State and the people work together" with the goal of socializing investment in infrastructure construction, gradually improving the quality of life of the people.

Nearly 10 years after merging into the city, people in the suburban communes of Vinh City are waiting for tap water to flow to their homes so that the dream of clean water will no longer haunt the meals and sleeps of the city's residents.

Vo Huyen