An industrial park in Lam Dong Province, located in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, is facing drought, seriously affecting its production despite the ongoing rainy season.

Phu Hoi Industrial Park has been prioritized for local water usage but it is still having trouble accessing the water it needs.

Meawhile, it normally rains in the Central Highlands from May until November.

According to a representative of Lam Dong Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company (Ladophar) in Phu Hoi Industrial Park, the company’s factory processes 14 metric tons of fresh artichoke leaves per day, requiring at least 40 cubic meters of water.

Despite its need, Ladophar, along with many other companies in the industrial park, have been facing water shortages from November 2023 to January 2024 and from January 2024 to April 2024.

Pham Thi Thuy Linh, deputy director of production at Ladophar, stated that the inadequate water supply forced the company to hire water trucks from local households to maintain uninterrupted production.

In August 2024, the water shortage lasted several days, and even when it returned, the flow was weak and slow.

The beginning and end of a year mark the peak production season for Ladopharm.

During these times, the company requires 60-70 cubic meters of water daily.

Linh stated that the inability to access this amount puts the company at risk of missing its production goals.

Ladopharm is not the only company raising concerns.

Other agricultural product trading and processing firms in Phu Hoi Industrial Park have also lodged similar complaints, as they are worried about the water shortage affecting production through the rest of 2024 and into early 2025.

Even though these companies have drilled wells, they have noticed a significant drop in groundwater volume over the past year.

Some wells have been contaminated with alum, while other companies have reported that the local supplier, Duc Trong Supply Sewage and Construction Joint Stock Company, provides only a fraction of the water they need.

For example, a factory needs 80 cubic meters of water per day but the company is capable of providing 170 cubic meters a month.

Phu Hoi Industrial Park is now home to more than 20 companies, most of which operate in the agricultural product processing sector. 

To supply water to factories in the industrial park, Duc Trong Supply Sewerage and Construction Joint Stock Company has reduced the volume of water it pumps to households and organizations in Lien Nghia Town as well as Phu Hoi and Lien Hiep Communes in Duc Trong District, according to the water supplier.

Nguyen Son Hoa, deputy director of Duc Trong Supply Sewerage and Construction Joint Stock Company, confirmed the shortage of water at Phu Hoi Industrial Park.

The company provides water to 12,000 customers in Lien Nghia Town and Lien Hiep and Phu Hoi Communes and can supply about 4,000 cubic meters of water per day, about 1,000-1,500 cubic meters lower than the actual demand.

The company has exploited six drilled wells with a combined capacity of 4,000 cubic meters per day but these wells lose three to five percent of their volume annually, which has led to the firm’s current supply shortfall, Hoa shared, adding that the company had purchased water to increase the supply but stopped after facing regulatory roadblocks.

According to Le Hai Ninh, deputy head of Lam Dong Industrial Zones Authority, the water shortage at Phu Hoi Industrial Park has been reported to Lam Dong Provincial Administration.

Ninh also noted that the Lam Dong Industrial Zones Authority had requested that the provincial People’s Committee’s support Duc Trong Supply Sewerage and Construction Joint Stock Company’s wholesale purchase of water from affiliated units.

To make such purchases, the company had invested nearly VND10 billion (US$393,349) in 19 kilometers of water pipes.

The authority has proposed that the provincial government support Duc Trong Supply Sewerage and Construction Joint Stock Company in completing the procedures to construct a water supply factory inside Phu Hoi Industrial Park with a daily capacity of 5,000 cubic meters.

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