Mr. Son: Many water supply projects have been abandoned.

(Baonghean) - Despite receiving substantial investment, many water supply projects in Anh Son district are not operating effectively. This reality highlights the urgent need to review and evaluate the capacity and effectiveness of these projects in order to find investment and operation solutions that are appropriate to the local characteristics.

Currently, the two hamlets of Vinh Kim and Yen Hoa, belonging to villages 11 and 12 of Hoa Son commune (Anh Son district), have nearly 300 households, mainly of the Thai ethnic group. The people are accustomed to using water from streams and wells for daily life. In 2007, through Program 134/CP, Hoa Son commune received investment for a gravity-fed water supply system at the source in the two hamlets of Vinh Kim and Yen Hoa. The project included 9 community water tanks, a water filtration system at the source, and a pipeline system leading from the source to the beginning of the community filtration tanks. The investment capital was nearly 1 billion VND, funded by Danish donations and contributions from the people under the motto "The State and the people work together." However, to date, the project lies exposed to the elements. The water tanks at the source are damaged and abandoned, the pipelines connecting from the source are broken underground, and the bathrooms, faucets, and concrete covers are all gone.

The clean water project has been abandoned for 6 years in Hamlet 1, Hoa Son Commune (Anh Son District).

Mr. Luong Van Thai, head of Vinh Kim village, said: “After a period of construction and trial operation, the water pipeline to the village broke, and the project has been abandoned for many years without anyone paying attention to it.” Mr. Nguyen Van Linh, Vice Chairman of Hoa Son Commune People's Committee, said: The people have made many requests to the commune and in the meetings with voters of the District People's Council. However, to date, there has been no action. The commune hopes that the higher authorities will soon find a solution to fix the problem and reinvest in the pipeline system so that people can use the water from the project.

In 2002, the clean water project, drawing water from a natural spring in Cao Veu 1 village, Phuc Son commune (Anh Son district), was completed with a water storage tank, pipeline system, filter tank on the hilltop, and water supply towers for households. Local residents directly contributed labor and hired workers to lay the pipelines to the households. The project was funded by the Danida Clean Water Program, with the commune as the investor, at a total cost of 539 million VND. However, just before handover, the water pipeline system was trampled by elephants, causing the water supplied to households to become turbid. To date, the entire pipeline system is rotten, the zinc pipes are rusted, and the contractor has abandoned the project without further action, unable to finalize the payment. Mr. Le Van Trang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Son commune, said: "The biggest difficulty is that repairing this project requires reinvestment from scratch, which is very costly, while the local budget is limited and cannot be allocated."

According to preliminary review results, Anh Son district currently has 9 clean water projects drawing water from natural and groundwater sources, funded by ODA-funded clean water projects, Programs 134 and 135, projects funded by Denmark, and contributions from the State and the people. Each project has an investment scale of 1-1.5 billion VND, with construction taking place 7-14 years ago. Most projects are managed by the Anh Son District People's Committee (except for the project in Phuc Son commune, which is managed by the commune). However, to date, only 2 clean water supply projects in Hamlet 8 and Hamlet 9 of Hoa Son commune and the clean water project in Anh Son town are operating effectively. These projects are managed by the Cooperative and the Nghe An Water Supply Company; the remaining 7 clean water projects have been abandoned, with many projects damaged and left unfinished for decades. Over the years, thousands of households and local authorities in the area benefiting from the clean water supply project have raised numerous questions and submitted requests to various levels of government and relevant agencies, but these issues have yet to be addressed or resolved.

The current situation stems from the fact that the survey and investment process for clean water projects did not fully assess the water supply capacity of the facilities and water sources. Maintenance and upkeep are also hampered by a lack of funding. Meanwhile, according to Mr. Nguyen Cong The, Head of the Agriculture Department of Anh Son District, most of these facilities maintain a community-based management model without a maintenance committee, resulting in weak operational management; local people's awareness of protecting the facilities is poor, and supervision by higher authorities and relevant councils is inconsistent.

Currently, Anh Son district is focusing on reviewing and reassessing the capacity and effectiveness of water supply projects to develop appropriate investment solutions, design changes, and new regulations for managing, operating, and maintaining these projects. Mr. Nguyen Huu Sang, Vice Chairman of the Anh Son District People's Committee, stated: The district is focusing on establishing an effective management system in two directions: Firstly, transferring management to water companies and enterprises. However, the district is not entirely in control of this as it depends on the needs of partners and businesses. Secondly, forming management cooperatives to concretize the responsibilities for operating the projects and establishing regulations such as collecting service fees according to legal regulations and maintaining community water supply projects. In addition, the district is focusing on mobilizing capital to upgrade, renovate, and improve the effectiveness of the projects through various methods such as mobilizing capital from businesses, projects, the State, and the people through joint investment…

Luong Mai