PHÚ YÊN — Nearly 200 households in the central coastal province of Phú Yên’s Xuân Cảnh Commune have been living without clean water despite the construction of a water supply system several years ago.

The system was completed in 2016 at a cost of over VNĐ6.8 billion (US$291,000). However, it has failed to ensure sufficient clean water for 248 households. Many households in the commune complain that water is only pumped into their houses once every three days.

According to residents in Xuân Cảnh Commune, the station should be drawing water from two underground wells, but only one had the capacity to cope with the demand.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Khói, a resident in Xuân Cảnh Commune’s Hòa Mỹ Village, said her family had not had any clean water since the beginning of August.

Due to severe water shortages, only households located at the start of the pipelines had access, she said.

They have been forced to use water from local wells despite of the foul smell and pollution because it costs too much to buy clean water.

Lê Văn Lương, a staff member at the water station in Xuân Cảnh, said even during the rainy season, the station couldn’t meet the demands of local residents because the machines were often out of order and there was no money to repair them.

“We try our best to provide water for residents but the pumps do not work,” he told Vietnam News Agency.

“If we had the budget to install an additional pump and new wells, we could solve the water shortage," he said, adding that the price of water in other localities was ten times more than usual.

Huỳnh Lê Tuấn, deputy chairman of Xuân Cảnh Commune’ People’s Committee, blamed the situation on budget difficulties and limited staff capacity.

He also said that local authorities had asked the provincial Centre for Rural Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation to take over the project so that pipes and pumping stations are upgraded to meet local needs, especially in the dry season. — VNS