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Prolonged heat wave causes serious water shortage in central Vietnamese province

Prolonged heat wave causes serious water shortage in central Vietnamese province

Monday, June 08, 2015, 14:41 GMT+7

Thousands of families in locales in Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam have had to buy water while suffering a severe shortage of water due to the prolonged heat wave in the region, local authorities said.

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About 1,600 households in three hamlets – An Ky, An Vinh, and Ky Xuyen – of Tinh Ky Commune have since early this month badly needed water for their daily life, the People’s Committee of the commune said. Many residents in Tinh Ky, located in the provincial capital city of Quang Ngai, have had to buy water for VND1,000 (US$0.046) per 20 liters. About 600 families in An Ky Hamlet have to buy water on a daily basis. “This month every year we have to buy water for cooking purposes, while using salt-affected well water for washing and bathing,” said Le Thi Ha, a resident in An Ky Hamlet.

“In such hot weather, our wells will dry up and we will then have to buy water for both cooking and other living activities,” Ha worryingly added.

The same situation was seen in Binh Chau Commune, Binh Son District, where locals in many hamlets have to buy water from other localities to use.

In Ly Son Island District, all the wells have been affected by salt intrusion, except for two ancient wells. Therefore, about 20 people have turned to work as water transporters for others on the island.

Many other localities in Quang Ngai, such as Binh Chanh and Binh Hai Communes in Binh Son District, and Nghia An and Nghia Phu Communes in Quang Ngai City, are also suffering from the same situation.

Tại một số xã ven biển như Bình Chánh, Bình Hải (huyện Bình Sơn), Nghĩa An, Nghĩa Phú (TP Quảng Ngãi)... cũng đang trong tình trạng khan hiếm nước sinh hoạt - Ảnh: T.Mai

People get water from a well in Quang Ngai Province amid severe water shortage due to the prolonged heat wave. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Quoc Vuong, chairman of the People’s Committee of Binh Chau Commune, said the local authorities are building a water supply system in Chau Me Hamlet to meet the demand of 40 families.

The facility, worth VND500 million ($23,000), of which 10 percent was contributed by locals, is expected to be put into operation this month and partly meet the local water demand, Vuong said.

He added that in the long run, a larger system must be built to ensure local residents have enough water for their daily living activities.

Pham Thi Huong, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Ly Son Island District, said many underground water sources have been assaulted by salinity intrusion, which affects the well water.

There must be a capital source to invest in building large water reservoirs to store rainwater for use in the dry season, Huong said.

Local authorities have proposed that the provincial People’s Committee make such investments to resolve the problem of serious water shortages that arises every dry season, she added.

Le Van Minh, deputy director of the provincial Center for Rural Environmental Hygiene and Water for Living Activities, said the province has 21 coastal communes, where about 100,000 people lack water in the dry season.

Many people have had to buy water for VND20,000 per m³, four times more expensive than the price of running water in cities, Minh said.

The center has built 27 clean water supply facilities in 19 of these 21 communes, but they have yet to meet the actual demand for water.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, a heat wave is raging in central Vietnam, with a high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius yesterday.

Today, June 8, the scorching weather continues, with high temperatures possibly topping 39 degrees, the center said.

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