After the floods, people lacked water for daily use.
(Baonghean.vn) - Hundreds of households in the communes of Yen Tinh, Yen Na, Yen Hoa, Xieng My... (Tuong Duong district) are lacking clean water because water tanks and pipelines were damaged or swept away during the recent floods.
Between June and September 2011, three floods swept through Tuong Duong district. Besides damage to houses, infrastructure, and crops, dozens of water tanks and tens of kilometers of water pipes were also severely damaged. Many water tanks, submerged in deep floodwaters, were filled with mud after the water receded. Many sections of water pipes were swept away by the flood, and many others were broken and rusted. Residents had to rely on stream and spring water for their primary water supply.
People in the poor communes of Tuong Duong district are in dire need of clean water.
Yen Tinh commune has 9 villages, each with a water tank for residents' daily use. However, after the floods, all the commune's water tanks were damaged. Mr. Vi Vu Quang, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said: "For almost 6 months now (since the flash flood at the end of June 2011), people in the commune have had no clean water to use. Every day, people have to go deep into the forest to carry water. The lack of clean water has led to many diseases, and people are suffering greatly." In Yen Tinh commune, the water in the Cha Ha stream is thick and yellow due to indiscriminate gold mining.
"The communal water tank for the whole village is now empty. The worst affected are the dozen or so households on the other side of the river; when the water level rises, they can't cross over to get water. And the river water is murky and dirty, unusable," shared Mr. Lo Trong Dai, Secretary of Pa Ty village (Yen Tinh, Tuong Duong). Pa Ty village has 304 inhabitants/66 households, and currently, all of them have to rely on stream water for daily life. On days when they don't have school, the students have to go to the stream to fetch water for cooking and drinking.
In Yen Na commune, floodwaters have broken water pipes supplying water to the villages of Pon and Na Pu. Mr. Lo Hoai Thom, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said that these two villages have been relying on stream water for daily use for over six months. "The commune has repeatedly requested financial assistance from higher levels, but so far there has been no response," Mr. Thom stated. In other communes such as Yen Hoa and Xieng My, clean water facilities have also been damaged. However, besides the objective cause of floods, an equally important subjective reason is the awareness of the people. Currently, people lack the habit of properly maintaining and preserving clean water facilities. This leads to these facilities being more easily damaged when floods occur.
Furthermore, in communes such as Yen Hoa, Xieng My, Nga My, Thach Giam, Tam Hop, etc., many water supply facilities are in a similar condition. Mr. Hoang Sy Thin, Head of the Agriculture Department of Tuong Duong district, said: "The district has submitted a document to the Provincial People's Committee requesting financial support, but currently only the severely damaged communes have received assistance. The allocated funds are 500 million VND, which we will use to repair damaged water tanks and reconnect broken and rusted water pipes caused by the recent floods."
Mr. Thin further stated that the lives of people in these communes are currently facing many difficulties. The water from streams and springs has been discolored due to indiscriminate gold mining. If people continue to rely on this water for daily life, the risk of disease is very high.
In my opinion, to ensure that people's lives are stabilized as soon as possible, all levels and sectors should promptly provide financial support to communes for the repair and maintenance of clean water facilities for long-term use.
Pham Bang
