Three military vessels on Monday morning transported more than 1,700 cubic meters of fresh water to Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam, where freshwater shortfall induced by saltwater intrusion has badly affected production and daily activities.

Operated by the Military Region 9, these 60- to 200-metric-ton ships supplied free-of-charge fresh water to residents in water-stressed locations of Bien Bach Commune in Thoi Binh District, Khanh Thuan Commune in U Minh District, and Khanh Binh Dong Commune in Tran Van Thoi District.

The Military Region 9 also provided hundreds of water containers for disadvantaged people in the areas.

The support is part of the efforts to help ease water stress caused by prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion across Vietnam’s Mekong Delta provinces.

Doan Van Binh, residing in Bien Bach Commune, said that rainwater has been unavailable in the area for more than four months, while saltwater intrusion has degraded groundwater quality and local inhabitants lack access to tap water.

Hailing fresh water as a treasure at the time, Le Thi Loan, a local woman in Bien Bach, expressed her thanks to the military forces for the supply of fresh water.

Some others shared that they had to buy fresh water at up to VND50,000 (US$2) per cubic meter, prior to the freshwater supply by the military forces.

According to the Military Region 9, it will provide fresh water for water-deprived areas until the end of the dry season.

Official data showed that more than 2,600 local households in Ca Mau are facing scarcity of fresh water due to drought.

Among them, some 1,700 households have no access to fresh water since they are unable to exploit groundwater; rivers and canals have dried up; and traffic has also been disrupted due to land subsidence.

The province tapped VND10 billion (US$399,800) of its back-up budget to purchase water containers and extend water pipes in order to provide fresh water for local people.

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