Vietnam's Central Highlands people lack access to clean water as supply projects abandoned
In Vietnam 4.5m lack clean water

The water level of the Hoi An water company's reservoir nears bottom level during the recent hot spell.— Photo dantri.com.vn

Serious salinity intrusion in the city's Thu Bon River in the past two months caused serious shortage of drinking water for local people and visitors, vice chairman of Cam Thanh Commune, Nguyen Hung Linh, said.

Over the past two months, 70 per cent of the commune's population have suffered from a lack of drinking water.

Cam Thanh Commune is home to Bay Mau coconut forest, a tourist attraction that receives thousands of tourists every day. However, the lack of drinking water had hurt business, causing accommodation sites to temporarily close.

Besides Cam Thanh Commune, residents in Cam Pho Commune and Cam Chau, Son Phong and Cam Kim wards have also suffered serious water shortages, while those with a more stable supply saw their water getting salty.

The shortage of drinking water has been a source of complaints among tourists and travel agencies on social networks.

A representative of a hotel in Cam Pho Ward said the drinking water shortage has greatly affected his business.

Currently, the hotel must pump underground water from wells to serve tourists, he said.

Cu Lao Cham Island (Tan Hiep Commune) has also been hit by a severe water shortage due to prolonged hot weather.

Nearly 3,000 people on the island depend on drinking water from Bai Bim Stream and underground water resources.

The island receives about 3,000 tourists daily, so the pressure on clean water supply is huge.

Mai Quoc Bao, vice chairman of Tan Hiep Commune, said it barely rained in the past two months and the supply is getting short.

"The recent rains brought by the effects of the typhoon No.2 but it didn't really mean much. Currently, the freshwater storage could still hold up but if it doesn't rain soon, it's going to be difficult for us," Bao said.

All of Hoi An uses clean water supplied by the city’s Water Supply and Sewerage Company.

A company representative said the city consumes more than 15,000cu.m of clean water every day.

The Vinh Dien River was the main water source for the company, but hot weather, high tides and saline river water have reduced supply.

Nguyen Van Son, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said the water supply company was pumping water from the upstream Tu Cau River to tackle the problem.

Overloaded pipelines due to the rapid increase in the number of hotels and restaurants to serve tourism have added to the problem, as have residents pumped water directly from main pipes, leading to a lack of water at the end of pipelines.

VNS