Repair the damaged water supply pipeline in Don Phuc as soon as possible.

(Baonghean)We visited Xieng village in Don Phuc commune, Con Cuong district, and saw villagers crowded around a cliff, collecting water from a plastic pipe that dripped slowly. Ms. Vi Thi La lamented, “The villagers were so happy when the government invested in building a clean water system. But after only a few months, the water tanks are completely empty, and people have to go down to the stream to carry water.” Ms. La Thi Van added, “The intense heat has lasted for a long time, and the Huoi Hien stream has dried up. Several families pooled nearly 1 million dong to buy plastic pipes to collect water from the cliffs. The water trickles out, and we have to wait a long time to get even one bucket for cooking. For bathing and washing clothes, the whole family has to come here.”

Mr. Luong Van Mai, head of Xieng village, added: Xieng village has 5 water tanks, serving over 170 households. However, all 5 tanks have been empty for a long time. The reason is that the pipeline system is damaged and the water source at the source dries up in the summer. Therefore, over 60% of households have to use dug wells and store rainwater in cement tanks, while the rest use water from streams. During the long dry season, the wells dry up, and most people have to get water from streams such as Ta stream and Hoa Dao stream for daily use and to feed over 300 buffaloes and cows. The villagers are hoping that the water supply systems will be repaired soon so that they can have water for daily use.

The people of Xieng village, Don Phuc commune, pooled their money to buy plastic pipes to draw water from the mountainside.

The Don Phuc water supply project, built in 2009, provides water to 389 households in three villages: Hong Thang, Hong Dien, and Xieng. The total investment was over 2.3 billion VND, with 25 water tanks and 8,515 meters of galvanized and plastic pipes. Currently, more than 10 of the water tanks serving the three villages are empty. The entire commune has over 800 households (more than 4,000 people), most of whom still rely on well water and streams.

It is known that the main reasons for the water project being "out of commission" are: heavy rains and floods washed away and damaged some sections of the water pipes from upstream; in addition, during the construction of the inter-communal road passing through the area, the construction unit used excavators to damage the pipes, which have not yet been repaired; on the other hand, the survey and design work was not suitable for the topography, geology, and water source characteristics, resulting in insufficient water supply according to the design; and the limited awareness of some local people regarding the use and maintenance of the project, making management, operation, and maintenance difficult.

In my opinion, for centralized domestic water supply systems to be sustainable, proper operation, maintenance, and repair measures are necessary, especially the detection and repair of minor damage, to prevent serious damage that would render the system unusable. Raising awareness among the people regarding water usage and actively participating in protecting the system is crucial for its long-term use. Furthermore, the people here must proactively find ways to overcome problems themselves, avoiding a mentality of relying solely on the government.

Van Truong