VietNamNet Bridge – Ha Noi is to speed up the process of tapping its rivers as a safe water supply for its residents and thus reduce the overuse of underground water which is a threat to the capital's geological stability.

Ha Noi is planning to cut reliance on underground water, the use of which is endangering the capital's geological stability. (Photo: VNS)

Ha Noi Architecture and Planning Department deputy director Vu Tuan Dinh said the city's safe water demand would increase to nearly 2 million cubic metres per day by 2020, triple the current capacity.

"That's why a detailed water exploitation programme is needed for developing new water sources and an extended water supply network," Dinh said.

VIWASE estimated that total safe water required by the city would be more than 1.9 million cubic metres per day in 2020, 2.7 million cubic metres by 2030 and 3.15 million cubic metres by 2050.

The draft scheme stated that underground water exploitation should be reduced step-by-step, not only because it was a limited resource, but also to protect the geological structure and prevent buildings sinking or collapsing.

Under the draft plan the city would focus on exploiting water from the Da, Hong and Duong rivers.

VIWASE targeted providing all urban areas with safe water from the urban sanitation supply network by 2020. The number of people in rural areas to be provided with safe water was about 30 per cent in 2020 and 40 per cent in 2030.

VIWASE said its survey showed most people living in rural areas of Ha Noi used well water or rain water. For rural areas, the city has built 91 water supply stations, with a total capacity of 400cu m to 1,600cu.m a day in its rural safe water and hygiene programme. However, to date only 15 per cent of rural people benefited from the programme – mostly those who lived in towns and densely populated areas.

Rising population

At a workshop last week for collecting suggestion for the scheme, experts said it should take account of the development of water supply networks for people living along the city scheme roads, such as the South road line and the North and South road line of the former Ha Tay Province or residential areas between corridor 3 and corridor 4 roads.

After merging with Ha Tay Province, Me Linh District of Vinh Phuc Province and four communes of Luong Son District, Hoa Binh Province on May 2008, Ha Noi population has increased to nearly 6.5 million people with the total area of over 3,300sq.km. Nearly 60 per cent of the city population lives in the rural areas.

Ha Noi People's Committee Deputy Chairman Nguyen Van Khoi asked VIWASE to make a detailed itinerary for exploiting and supplying water for the city.

"The plan for reducing underground water exploitation and increasing the use of surface water from rivers should be based on parameters of capital planning as well as the forecast water demand of the city in coming decades," Khoi said.

VIWASE said its statistics showed that Ha Noi's four water supply companies provided a total capacity of 954,000cu.m daily. The safe water supply network served between 70-85 per cent of people living in urban areas with an average of 80-150 litres a person per day.

The water for the city mainly came from 251 underground wells and a small amount came from the Da River.

Supplying safe water for rural area was seen as an urgent issue, not only in Ha Noi but in all corners of the country. To date, only 40 per cent of people living in rural areas nationwide had been provided with safe water, a report of the National Standing Bureau for Sanitation, Environment and Safe Water stated.

The target for Viet Nam is to access to safe water for all residents by 2020, an average of 60 litres per person a day.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News