HẢI PHÒNG — Two wells of fresh, natural groundwater have been found in Bạch Long Vỹ Island of Hải Phòng City, which often suffers from severe water shortage.

The freshwater wells, which were discovered by the Northern Water Resources Planning and Investigation League, have a total capacity of 75cu.m of water per day, reported online newsaper vietnamplus.vn.

After finding the groundwater resource, the league has started to build reservoirs and water treatment stations to provide clean water to the local people.

The newly found groundwater will help reduce clean water shortage on the island.

Bạch Long Vĩ island is an offshore district of Hải Phòng City, 100km from the mainland.

The island is home to some 1,000 residents. But during the stormy season, it can shelter another 1,000.

For the last few years, the island has been facing severe shortage of freshwater.

The demand for freshwater on the island is some 210cu.m per day.

The two existing wells on the island, each measuring 80m in depth with a total capacity of 15cu.m, do not meet the local demand.

During the dry season last year, there was acute shortage of freshwater. Local people had to buy water at a high price, and on many occasions, there was even no water to buy.

Trần Quang Trường, the district’s party secretary, said “the new reservoirs would help meet the demand of freshwater”.

All the four wells together will provide 90cu.m of freshwater per day.

The district will cooperate with Hải Phòng Water Supply Company to build a water treatment plant on the island soon, Trường said.

The island will still need another 120cu.m of freshwater per day to fulfil its demand.

This year, two reservoirs with a capacity of 48,000cu.m is expected to become operational after four years of construction. — VNS