The effectiveness of managing the self-flowing water system in the mountainous district of Nghe An

Mr. Vi Van Hai's family in Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune, Tuong Duong district, previously had a lot of difficulty finding water for daily use. Due to the steep terrain and the house on the mountainside, in order to have water for daily use, his family had to take turns going down to Lam river, quite far from home, to fetch water.

Sharing the same situation with the households of Cay Me village are Mon village, Thach Duong village, Chan village, Thach Giam commune. The daily water supply of the people is difficult, not to mention serving the needs of production and livestock.

People take the initiative to repair the water source leading to their homes whenever it is damaged. Photo: Vi Man

In 2015, when the district invested in a self-flowing water system and handed it over to the commune for management, Mr. Hai's family as well as 106 households in Cay Me village and other villages in Thach Giam commune were very excited because clean water had reached all households without any cost.

However, after a period of time, without any repair, the system has degraded, while the people are not aware of water resource management, water is still freely released, causing the valve system to leak and loosen; while the village's fund is low, so repairs are limited... Besides, some households in high places lack water for daily use.

Each village is invested with 1 filter tank and 1 water tank. Photo: May Huyen

Faced with this situation, the commune has repeatedly proposed to the district ways to effectively manage water resources, to ensure 100% of households have access to clean water. By the end of 2017, the district decided to assign the Enterprise to manage and collect clean water fees from all water-using households.

Accordingly, Cay Me and Phong villages are assigned to Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company, Tuong Duong branch for direct investment, management and fee collection; Mon village is assigned to Truong Vinh Company Limited for investment and management.

After receiving the contract, the companies focused on investing, each village built 1 filter tank and 1 storage tank, and water pipes from the upstream of the dam under their management. Households bought pipes to bring home and had to pay a fee of 2,500 VND/m.^3.At the same time, the district has actively promoted people's understanding of the importance of using clean water and the convenience of being proactive about water sources.

Mr. Vi Van Hai in Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune (Tuong Duong) is excited to be able to take the initiative in providing water for his family's daily life. Photo: Vi Man

Mr. Luong Van Hung - Head of Cay Me village, Thach Giam commune said that since taking the initiative in water sources, households in the village have been aware of preserving water, not letting water flow freely in tanks like before; valves and faucets are focused on buying quality products for use. Especially with water, people raising livestock and growing crops are much more convenient.

But one issue that people in localities using natural water sources want is the need for an adjustment in water prices. The price is 2,500 VND/m³ For some localities where up to 85% of households depend entirely on agriculture, unstable income is still high...

When there is water, people can be proactive in vegetable production and livestock raising. Photo: May Huyen

Tuong Duong district strives to ensure that 100% of households have access to clean water as soon as possible. To achieve this, in addition to the solutions proposed by the district, it is necessary for people to raise their awareness in managing and protecting existing water sources.