Nearly 60 households in Tiến Lộc Commune in the northern province of Thanh Hóa said that their houses are being damaged by the operation of a local water supply plant. — Photo enternews.vn

THANH HÓA — Nearly 60 households in Tiến Lộc Commune in the northern province of Thanh Hóa said that their houses are being damaged by the operation of a local water supply plant.

Phạm Ngọc Ngôn, 60, a local resident, said cracks appeared in the walls of his house in late 2014. The cracks soon spread all over the house.

“My house is not only suffering from cracks in the walls and foundation, but also from subsidence,” he said.

Nguyễn Thái Hài, 68, another resident, said the cracks in her house are 2.5cm wide.

“My family could not sleep well for several years for fear our house could collapse at any time,” she told zingnews.vn.

Hoàng Thị Ca, head of Bùi 2 Village of Tiến Lộc Commune, said the cracks also exist in two- and three-storey houses. Fifty-eight houses have been affected so far.

To make matters worse, all the local wells dried up when the cracking began, she said.

Local residents blame the Tiến Lộc Water Supply Plant, saying the cracks and dry wells started when the plant began operating in September 2014.

This claim has been confirmed by Hoàng Văn Thêm, deputy chairman of Tiến Lộc Commune’s People’s Committee.

Thêm said relevant agencies in Thanh Hóa Province concluded that cracks in 59 houses in Bùi 2 Village were caused by well drilling and high capacity water pumps for the Tiến Lộc Water Supply Company.

The management board of the plant has been ordered to coordinate with Hậu Lộc District’s People’s Committee to set up a council to assess the damage so that compensation can be provided to affected households soon.

Tiến Lộc Water Supply Company opened in September 2014 with a total investment of VNĐ30.9 billion (US$1.4 million) with loans from Asia Development Bank. The water company has a capacity of 1 ,200 cu.m of water per day. — VNS