Hundreds of families long for clean water

December 24, 2018 - 16:44

About 200 families living in Hòa Điền Commune, Kiên Lương District in the southern province of Kiên Giang have had to pay VNĐ100,000 (US$4.3) for a cubic metre of clean water for daily use, 15 times higher than the general water price in the province, because of the unavailability of tap water supply to their homes.

Many households in Hòa Điền Commune, Kiên Lương District in the southern province of Kiên Giang have built tanks to store rainwater because tap water is not supplied to their homes. — Photo nld.com.vn
Viet Nam News

KIÊN GIANG — About 200 families living in Hòa Điền Commune, Kiên Lương District in the southern province of Kiên Giang have had to pay VNĐ100,000 (US$4.3) for a cubic metre of clean water for daily use, 15 times higher than the general water price in the province, because of the unavailability of tap water supply to their homes.

Local resident Dương Thị Lệ in Thạnh Lợi Hamlet said that her family had been living there for nearly a decade and had to buy expensive water to use.

However, the water was not clean enough for cooking and drinking.

Her family had already spent about VNĐ800,000 on buying bottled water which is used for cooking and drinking, she said, adding that the expense for water accounted for a large proportion of their income – which was just a few million Vietnamese đồng per month.

Another local resident Đinh Hoàng Việt said he and his neighbours usually store rain water to use.

However, he said there had been less rain recently, which was a cause for concern.

Chairman of Hòa Điền Commune People’s Committee Nguyễn Hữu Tính said that local authorities reported the water shortage to higher levels and discussed with the province’s water supply company about a water system for the commune.

The company committed to building a water supply system but up until now, no move has been made, Tính said. — VNS

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