Long scorching days and a lack of precipitation have led to insufficient fresh water reserves in many localities in central Vietnam, bringing numerous difficulties to the daily lives of inhabitants.

Like thousands of other locals in Thuan Loc Commune under Hong Linh Town in Ha Tinh Province, Phan Thi Tu, a 70-year-old woman, is struggling with a shortage of fresh water.

Every day, carrying four plastic containers, she rushes to fetch water to store for her daily needs. 

Inhabitants in Thuan Loc Commune have started several inconvenient habits to cope with the water shortage. 

Many are seen bathing and washing clothes in the canal around the namesake commune. Some of them even bring buckets of water home.

The village depends largely on water from the Thien Tuong Reservoir. 

However, the village’s pipeline system has barely any water left due to the severe drought and the plant’s water demand for production.

Every morning for the past four days, residents have been searching for clean water, said Tu.

Four containers of fresh water for cooking purposes could last up to two days, while other daily activities such as bathing and laundry may use less fine water, Tu shared.

Bathing in the canal is likely to lead to skin diseases. 

There are adult villagers saving water by bathing in plastic tubs and utilizing them for later flushing, said Tu’s neighbor.

Meanwhile, in Duc Thuan Ward, also in Hong Linh Town, fresh water is supplied within a fixed time frame, so the inhabitants have to heed the time to go fetch it.

Never before has the Thien Tuong Reservoir been this shallow, leading to the water plant’s lack of water provision for localities, said Manh Trong Hong, a 72-year-old inhabitant.

Hong and his family have been looking out for the time to fetch water, aiming to eat only for a week now.

As for bathing and laundry, they use the muddy yellow well water source, Hong said.

The lack of fresh water has also brought about plenty of struggles for 67-year-old man Kieu Dinh Trung and his family, as they have to use a number of plastic barrels to accumulate water from water supply companies.

A water pipeline system from the nearby Da Bac Lake to Hong Linh Town is under construction and is expected to be complete in around four days, said Le Thanh Dong, an official of Hong Linh Town.

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