Many border villages in Nghe An are thirsty for electricity.
(Baonghean.vn) - Up to now, Nghe An still has 115 villages and hamlets in remote areas that do not have access to the national grid. People have to use water from streams and creeks to "produce" electricity for lighting, but the electricity is unstable and many households still have to use flickering kerosene lamps.
Life is difficult without electricity
Mai Son is one of the remote communes of Tuong Duong district, currently the whole commune has 129 households that have not used the national grid. Due to the lack of grid electricity, the lives of many households here face many difficulties.
Without grid electricity, households have no access to communication, no access to television, life is very difficult. The villagers have pooled money together, 2-3 households have installed a mini generator in the stream, but it is not stable. In the hot season, the stream is dry and cannot be used, in the rainy season, the wires are broken, many generators are swept away by the flood. Therefore, the villagers really hope to have national grid electricity soon to change their lives.
Ms. Lo Thi Huong - Chairwoman of Mai Son Commune People's Committee said: The whole commune currently has 3 villages without electricity including Na Kha village with 28 households, Pha Khao with 49 households, Pieng Coc with 52 households. The lack of electricity has greatly affected the daily life of the people, while the commune government is also very inconvenient when it needs to inform the people about new policies.
The whole district of Tuong Duong currently has 9 villages, belonging to 4 communes without electricity, including Nhon Mai commune with 4 villages, Mai Son commune with 3 villages, Huu Khuong commune with 1 village, and Luong Minh commune with 1 village.
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| Mini generators placed in streams in Na Kha village, Mai Son commune (Tuong Duong) are often swept away during the rainy season. Photo: Van Truong |
Also in the same situation, some communes in the remote district of Ky Son are suffering from electricity shortages. In Phia Kham 1 village, Bac Ly commune, there are nearly 105 households, most of whom use oil lamps. Mr. Lo Pho Lanh in Phia Kham 1 village said: My family bought a mini generator, but it is hot these days, the stream is dry, so at night we have to use oil lamps to eat. Without electricity, daily life is very inconvenient, some households buy generators to grind rice, the rest have to use mortars, which is very difficult.
The entire Bac Ly commune currently has 11/13 villages without electricity, with over 700 households not using electricity. The lack of electricity makes the lives of the villagers even more difficult, with the poverty rate of the whole commune accounting for over 50%.
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| Some streams and creeks in Xiangyang are dry, so mini generators cannot be used. Photo: Van Truong |
Mr. Nguyen Anh Doai - Head of the District Economic Infrastructure Department said: Ky Son currently has 78 villages and hamlets without national grid electricity. According to the plan, the completion of the grid in Ky Son will be completed in the period of 2015-2021. However, due to many reasons, the relevant sector has recently adjusted the completion of the grid for Ky Son from the period of 2021-2025. Currently, Ky Son people are eagerly waiting for national electricity.
Many people do not have the knowledge to use this water-powered generator, the electric wire is connected from the stream to the house in a makeshift way; some houses use uncoated steel wire. The most dangerous thing is that children often go to the stream to play next to the turbines that are generating electricity.
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| The family of Mr. Lo Pho Lanh in Phia Kham 1 village, Bac Ly commune (Ky Son) eats with a flickering oil lamp. Photo: Van Truong |
There are still many villages and hamlets without electricity.
Among the four infrastructure factors: electricity, roads, schools, and stations, electricity is still the number 1 priority, not only serving people's daily lives but also serving people's information needs, production development, and business.
According to the report of the Department of Industry and Trade, in 2015, there were 282 villages and hamlets in 10 districts and towns in the province without electricity.
Implementing the decisions of the Central and the province related to bringing electricity to mountainous and border areas, from 2015 to the end of 2021, from the rural electricity investment project from the National Grid of Nghe An province and other capital sources, electricity has been provided to 167 villages and hamlets in the districts of Tuong Duong, Ky Son, Quy Chau, Que Phong, Quy Hop, Thanh Chuong, Anh Son with a total investment of more than 510 billion VND.
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| On days when the stream water is stable, people can use electricity just enough for daily use. (Photo taken at Phia Kham 1 village, Bac Ly commune, Ky Son). Photo: Van Truong |
Thus, up to now, there are still 76 villages and hamlets without electricity in the second phase of the project to invest in rural electricity supply from the national grid that has not been implemented. In addition, through the review process, there are 15 villages and hamlets with the ability to connect to the grid that are not yet on the project list and have been proposed to the Vietnam Electricity Group and the Northern Power Corporation for consideration and addition to the second phase of the project.
Recently, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee chaired a working session with Vietnam Electricity Group and its member units, proposing that the Ministry of Industry and Trade add 15 villages and hamlets not yet on the list to the project; Complete 49 villages and hamlets in 2021; Pay attention to allocating capital in 2022 for the remaining 91 villages and hamlets (including 76 villages and hamlets that have not yet been allocated capital and 15 villages and hamlets proposed to be added).
In addition to the above grid power project, 24 villages and Mat Island are supplied with electricity by renewable energy sources invested by the Department of Industry and Trade. Currently, the project is completing investment procedures and establishing an investment project.
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| People in Phia Kham 1 village, Bac Ly commune, Ky Son install generators. Photo: Van Truong |
Mr. Pham Van Hoa - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade said: Nghe An currently still has 115 villages and hamlets without electricity, mainly concentrated in the remote districts of Quy Chau, Tuong Duong, Ky Son, Que Phong... The reason is that the villages and hamlets are in remote areas, the terrain is rugged, the mountainous traffic infrastructure in many places is not synchronously invested, the investment rate is large while the capital source is difficult. The Department is continuing to urge and work with the Electricity sector; advising and proposing to relevant ministries to have a plan to arrange investment capital to implement the project of bringing national grid electricity to villages and hamlets without electricity and a plan to arrange capital for the project of supplying electricity to villages and hamlets through the Renewable Energy project.
To speed up the progress of grid construction, in parallel with investing in power supply through the above projects, authorities at all levels and sectors need to seek and integrate project programs, proactively seek capital sources to invest in power supply to villages...
