People are upset because the price of tap water is too high.

(Baonghean) -Having access to tap water at home has long been the dream of many households in Hamlet 13, Nghi Phu Commune (Vinh City). However, when the level 3 water supply network reached the alley, people unanimously protested against the "capturing" of tap water. The reason they gave was that the price of raw materials and labor was too high...

At this time, only about 1/3 of households in the West of Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Avenue of Nghi Phu Commune (Vinh City) have tap water. Although the policy has been in place for a long time for the remaining hamlets, it was not until mid-2011, when the water pipeline across Xo Viet Avenue was completed, that Nghi Phu Commune was able to implement the project. The project to build and install a tap water system for the remaining 17 hamlets of Nghi Phu Commune has a total capital of nearly 10 billion VND, of which the commune government supports nearly 70%, the remaining 2,204 million VND is contributed by the people.

To contribute to the completion of the water pipeline, the families of Mr. Nguyen Ba Ngoc, Nguyen Viet Hue, Nguyen Van Tu, Tran Dinh Hoi... and more than 150 other households in Block 13 each contributed 1.8 million VND. That amount is not small compared to the income of purely agricultural households here. After the construction was completed, people thought that connecting the tap water pipes to the households would be simple, because the tap water network had reached the fence of each family. However, when holding the budget documents for installing the clean water supply system, the households were truly surprised.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Ngoc said: I don't understand how Nghe An Water Supply One Member Co., Ltd. calculated that just installing a water meter, installing one or two elbows, a thread, and taking less than 30 minutes to construct, each household would have to pay more than 2 million VND. That's not including the cost of water pipes and faucets that each household must buy to install in their own house. Of this, the cost of materials alone was 1.1 million VND, and the cost of two workers was nearly 400,000 VND. The rest was all sorts of other miscellaneous things such as construction equipment costs, pre-tax construction and installation costs, pre-tax and post-tax construction costs, construction drawing design costs, and budget estimates. We also don't understand that there are so many costs that have been specifically calculated, and then there is another direct cost, we don't understand what that cost is...

Dissatisfied with the high fees, although the water supply company has completed the estimate documents, nearly 170 households in the hamlet have not agreed to pay for water. One of the two pioneer households, Mr. Tran Dinh Hoi, also felt dissatisfied, because: I am the hamlet chief, I have to set an example for the people, but I really feel very dissatisfied with the high price. The documents state the types of materials to be installed but do not clearly state which unit produces the products. The project costs millions of dong, but the water supply company and the residents do not have any contract agreement. If the project is unfortunately damaged, we do not know who to call, who to ask, and do not know how long the warranty is. We also went to the material supply stores and found that the prices of similar products are much lower than the prices offered by the water supply company.

In response to the above questions, Mr. Tran Van Tung, Head of Planning and Technical Department, Nghe An Water Supply One Member Co., Ltd., said: The calculation of the above figures is based on Decision No. 787/2011/QD-UBND-CN dated March 18, 2011 of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee. Accordingly, from the specific instructions in this decision, the company will base on it to calculate the price of raw materials, labor prices and other expenses.

According to Mr. Tung, that is true, but he himself also admitted that many materials commonly used in the installation of water systems are not included in this decision. Similarly, the prices of many materials specified by the Provincial People's Committee are not true to the actual prices. Therefore, "depending on market prices, we rely on that to calculate labor and material costs". When asked if this price is the lowest price and what is the basis for giving that price, he said: It is definitely the closest price, because we often buy by the package so the price is low. However, when asked to see the prices offered by material suppliers, Mr. Tung said: That is the job of the finance department. Knowing that we were not satisfied with the above answer, Mr. Tung offered a solution: If people complain about the high price, are not satisfied with the products we offer, then people have the right to buy the materials themselves and we only charge for installation. However, if people buy and unfortunately there is damage, we are not responsible. As for the company, there has been no damage to any project after installation. Therefore, people can rest assured. Without a contract, we still guarantee within 1 year.

The above answer brings us back to the issue that people have asked: It is a contract between the investor and the people. Currently, Nghe An water supply company does not have a contract, so in case the project is damaged, what can people rely on to claim compensation? In addition, if the project buys materials from outside and is damaged, but the fault is not due to the materials but due to the construction, will the water supply company be responsible? There will be many issues, but the current answer is "zero". Should there be a document between the water supply company and the households, from calculating the cost of materials to the terms of installation and construction, there should be a specific explanation. Do not take shortcuts, do not ignore the above essentials because of verbal commitments. Or is it because tap water is currently a "monopoly" that the supplier gives itself the right to decide as above.

My Ha