People in suburban areas are desperate for clean water.

(Baonghean) - Although many suburban communes have been merged into Vinh City and become citizens of a Class I urban area for nearly a decade, residents still do not have access to piped water and continue to use water from drilled or dug wells. This is also a matter of great concern to voters in these localities, who have repeatedly raised the issue in various forums, especially during voter outreach meetings of the People's Councils at all levels.

Concerns about drinking water

Along with his old water filter and plastic water containers, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Chau, head of Kim Chi hamlet in Nghi An commune, still has to regularly go to the neighboring Nghi Phu commune to ask for water for daily use because the well water is not safe. The amount of water he can get is limited, so he prioritizes using it for cooking, while other household activities have to rely on well water. Mr. Chau said: Kim Chi hamlet has 240 households with 800 residents. Although it has been a citizen of Vinh City for a long time, it still does not have access to piped water. 30% of the residents in the hamlet have to regularly go to Nghi Phu commune to ask for water for cooking, like his family; the majority of the remaining residents have to buy additional water filters to purify well water for their family's needs.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Hue, from Kim Chi hamlet (Nghi An commune, Vinh City), has to filter well water daily for cooking. Photo: Thanh Duy

Without access to piped water, residents of Kim Chi hamlet are extremely worried about signs of groundwater contamination. However, their biggest concern now is the drainage system from Nghi Phu, which discharges directly into their rice fields. Leading us to the scene, Mr. Chau explained, "Wastewater from the Nghi Phu industrial cluster is discharged directly into the fields of Kim Chi hamlet without any collection canal system. Although no scientific studies have concluded this, local residents believe this is one of the reasons for the groundwater pollution in the area." Mr. Nguyen Huu Hue, a resident of Kim Chi hamlet suffering from a serious illness, expressed his concern: "Every day, my family has to use filtered water for cooking, but we still don't feel safe."

The issue of clean water supply in Kim Chi hamlet in particular and Nghi An commune in general has been repeatedly raised by local residents on various forums, especially during meetings with constituents by People's Council representatives at all levels. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Nghi An commune, stated: “The commune has 2,246 households with 8,577 people, but none of them have access to piped water. The people earnestly hope that the relevant authorities will invest in a clean water supply system because, as far as we know, the city has a plan but it has not yet been implemented.”

Suburban areas later merged into Vinh City also lacked or only partially received piped water, such as Nghi Duc and Nghi An communes. In Nghi Lien commune, there are primary, secondary, and tertiary water supply pipelines funded by Finnish ODA; however, the tertiary pipeline network does not yet cover the entire commune. Currently, 70% of households in the commune use piped water. The remaining households use rainwater and well water for drinking and daily activities. According to Hoang Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Nghi Lien Commune People's Committee, residents are frustrated and have repeatedly petitioned for piped water; for example, in Hamlet 18A, some households have to buy water. In early May 2017, the commune submitted a proposal to the City People's Committee requesting approval for a survey and detailed planning to complete the piped water supply infrastructure in the area.

How long do we have to wait?

In response to the above situation, according to Decision No. 5056/QD.UBND-CNTM dated October 30, 2015, of the Provincial People's Committee, Nghi An commune will have 7.645km of primary water supply pipelines with 7 main supply points and 5.18km of secondary water supply pipelines constructed. Meanwhile, in Nghi Duc commune, where 1,519 households do not yet have access to piped water, investment will be made in constructing 7.17km of primary water supply pipelines with 3 main supply points and 6.99km of secondary water supply pipelines.

In addition, Vinh City issued a plan to build a piped water supply system for the merged communes at the end of 2016 to construct a tertiary water supply pipeline system to households. The plan involves the city budget investing 70% of the total project value; the commune/ward budget investing 30%; and agencies, units, and households independently clearing land and investing in the installation of water meters, including the meters themselves. Accordingly, for the tertiary water supply pipeline network, Nghi Lien commune needs to install 5 km; Nghi Duc commune needs to install 34 km; and the four newly merged hamlets in Vinh Tan ward (Block 1, Block 2, Chau Hung Block, and Yen Cu Block) need to install 10 km…

The drainage canal from Nghi Phu commune flows into the rice fields of residents in Kim Chi hamlet, Nghi An commune (Vinh City). Photo: Thanh Duy

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thang, Head of the Urban Management Department of Vinh City, said: The project to build a piped water supply system for the merged communes aims to ensure a standard of 120 liters of water per person per day for residents, striving to achieve 100% of households in the newly merged communes having access to piped water by 2020, ensuring both quality and quantity to meet the needs of urban residents and support production, business, and socio-economic development activities.

However, the most important issue currently is that the primary and secondary water pipeline networks in Nghi An and Nghi Duc communes have not yet been implemented. According to information obtained from the Urban Management Department of Vinh City, Decision No. 5056/QD.UBND-CNTM dated October 30, 2015, of the Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An Water Supply Company Limited was the investor for the construction of this network. However, since this company has now undergone privatization and established Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company, Vinh City is submitting a proposal to the Provincial People's Committee to transfer the responsibility for the primary and secondary pipeline network to the city.

The construction of a piped water supply network for residents of suburban communes such as Nghi An, Nghi Duc, and parts of Nghi Lien… is crucial to ensuring the daily lives, health, and living conditions of the people, as well as the sustainable development of the urban environment. Therefore, for localities that already have primary and secondary water supply systems, it is necessary to quickly deploy tertiary pipeline systems to supply water to the people; and for localities that do not yet have primary and secondary water supply systems, construction should be carried out soon. Thus, the goal of having 100% of residents in newly merged communes have access to piped water by 2020 will not be missed… much anticipated by the people.

Thanh Duy