Improving the capacity to provide clean water in Cua Lo Town.

(Baonghean) - Upgrading the pumping system and water pipelines at the source, and investing in the development of new pipelines to draw clean water from the water supply system in the vicinity of Vinh City are practical actions taken by Cua Lo Town Water Supply Company Limited to ensure the supply of clean water to the people of the coastal town this summer.

The Cua Lo town water plant has an operating capacity of over 3,000 m3/day, and with this capacity, it will be difficult to meet the demand for clean water for customers in the area, especially during the beach tourism season. Recognizing this difficulty and limitation, at the beginning of 2015, the Cua Lo Water Supply Company Limited boldly invested nearly 3 billion VND to install an additional 4 km pipeline to draw clean water from the Vinh-adjacent area water supply system, thus increasing its capacity by 1,500 m3/day. Therefore, the unit now has a total capacity of 4,500 m3/day, sufficient to meet the clean water needs of its customers.

Mr. Tan Thanh's family in Thu Thuy ward said: "Last year, the water plant supplied clean water to residents according to a specific schedule, but because our family runs a restaurant business on the beach, it was very difficult and inconvenient to get clean water for our family. Recently, the clean water supplied by the plant has been readily available and convenient for residents, with high pressure and a strong water flow."

Operating the clean water supply system at the Cua Lo Town Water Treatment Plant.

Currently, the clean water supply pipeline network has covered all 7 wards of Cua Lo town, including Nghi Tan, Nghi Thuy, and Thu Thuy wards, where the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary pipeline systems are very well developed, allowing many households to access clean water. Mr. Vo Hong Trung, Head of Block 2 in Nghi Thuy ward, said: “Currently, there are still 17 families in the block who do not have access to clean water. The ward People's Committee has provided 16 million VND to connect the main pipeline, and each household has invested 3 million VND to connect additional branch pipelines to their homes to use clean water.” Thanks to the benefits of the water supply network development project (Cua Lo town water plant) and the support of the ward and the contributions of the people, nearly 70% of households in Nghi Thuy now have access to clean water. Mr. Vo Van Ly, Chairman of the People's Committee of the ward, shared: "The ward's goal in the coming time is to have 80% of households using clean water. To achieve that, the ward will continue to support the development of the main pipeline network, while also promoting propaganda and mobilizing people to participate in investing in the development of the clean water supply pipeline system."

In Nghi Tan and Thu Thuy wards, local authorities and residents are very interested in this area, resulting in a high rate of clean water usage. Currently, 60% of households in Nghi Tan ward use piped water, and over 40% in Thu Thuy ward. The main pipeline of the Cua Lo town water plant has now extended to Nghi Huong, Nghi Thu, Nghi Hai, and Nghi Hoa wards, but the water supply network to individual households has not been expanded, so only 10-20% of households have access to clean water. Mr. Duong Ngoc Hung, Head of the Planning Department of the Cua Lo Town Water Supply Company, said: “To increase the rate of people using clean water, the company proposes to relevant levels and sectors to develop a plan to support investment in the development of the water supply pipeline system, while also promoting awareness and encouraging people to actively participate in this field.”

A current concern in the water supply sector of Cua Lo town is that many hotels and restaurants do not use clean water, but instead exploit groundwater from wells that do not meet quality standards. This not only affects water resources (due to deep wells, indiscriminate water use, waste, etc.) but also impacts the health of users. Mr. Nguyen Huu Luan, Director of Cua Lo Town Water Supply Company Limited, said: “The company has worked with the Cua Lo Health Center and departments in Cua Lo town regarding the use of substandard groundwater, however, this issue has not been inspected or addressed promptly.” Currently, out of more than 3,500 customers using clean water from Cua Lo Town Water Supply Company Limited, only 600 are hotels and restaurants using tap water.

Mr. Nguyen Ho Dong, a maintenance officer at the Green Hotel, said: “This summer, the number of tourists visiting the Green Hotel has increased significantly. Therefore, the hotel has built two underground water tanks, each containing 100 cubic meters of clean water, to regularly supply the nine above-ground tanks providing clean water for the hotel's 180 rooms. To ensure efficient water usage, the reception and service staff regularly instruct guests on water conservation, and signs and instructions on water saving have been installed in several locations.” In addition, hotels such as Muong Thanh Cua Lo, Thai Binh Duong, Saigon - Kim Lien, the Golf Course area, and Loc Chau Apartment Complex are among the customers who use a large volume of clean water and have implemented many effective water conservation measures.

Determined to find sustainable solutions to meet the growing demand for clean water in Cua Lo town, Cua Lo Water Supply Company Limited will invest in developing a raw water pipeline connecting to the Lam River water supply system of Tuan Loc Construction Investment Joint Stock Company, while upgrading the clean water treatment system to a capacity of 6,000 m3/day to meet customer needs. The company will also implement a project to renovate and expand the Cua Lo Water Treatment Plant from 3,000 m3 to 13,000 m2/day using loan capital from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). These solutions will satisfy the clean water needs in the area and surrounding regions such as Nghi Khanh, Nghi Hop, Nghi Thach, Nghi Xuan, and large production projects in Cua Lo and the Nam Cam Industrial Park.

Hoang Vinh