VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of thousands of households in the suburbs of HCM City have to save every drop of clean water as they have no access to tap water. 

 

A report shows that over 358,000 households in the districts of Thu Duc, Binh Chanh, Nha Ba, Can Gio and Cu Chi still do not have clean water for use.

According to the HCM City People’s Council Chair Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, many people now have to buy clean water at VND20,000-30,000, or VND50,000 per cubic meter.

In Hamlet 6 of Le Minh Xuan Commune in Binh Chanh District, people have to queue up every morning or afternoon to buy every can of clean water.

Le Kim Thanh Thanh, 35, confirmed that she has to travel several kilometers every day to carry clean water. Thanh can put four 20-liter plastic cans on her self-modified vehicle and has to pay VND35,000 for one clean cubic meter.

In large cities like Hanoi and HCM City, tap water is provided by state owned companies at less than VND10,000 per cubic meter.

Thanh said 10 members of her family need 10 cans of water, though they try to save every drop of water.

Meanwhile, locals in hamlet 6 complained that they cannot buy clean water, though they live next to the water pipeline.

Thai Thi Hoa, 66, said she has to buy water from families who ‘can buy water from the state’ at VND20,000 per cubic meter. 

Hoa registered with the local authorities to buy clean water some years ago, but the registration has not been approved because of procedural problems.

As there is no tap water, locals have to use underground water, though they know it is seriously polluted.

The HCM City Healthcare Department has confirmed that only 54 out of 1,400 water samples taken from suburb districts can satisfy standards.

According to Le Van Nhan, deputy director of the HCM City Preventive Medicine Center, 110 out of 1,400 samples have been found containing ammonium, which may cause cancer to those who use the water for a long time.

Nguyen Van Hoang, 51, in Hoc Mon district, complained that he filters alum infected water with sand, rock and activated carbon, but it still has a fishy smell.

“I have drilled three water wells in my garden, covering an area of 2,000 cubic meters. However, the water has alum, though it is taken from a depth of 60-70 meters,” he said.

Deputy chair of Binh Chanh district, Nguyen Van Hong, said 53 percent of residents in the district still have no access to clean water. 

Tien Phong