Vinaconex officials on trial for Da River water pipeline breaks
Broken water pipe affects thousands in Binh Dinh

A container truck hit a section of a Song Duong Surface Water Plant pipeline in Gia Lam District, Hanoi in the early hours of on Monday.— Photo: VNN

The truck, which was transporting concrete beams for a nearby construction site, was passing under an overpass when the ground collapsed beneath it.

The water plant said it was forced to cut water supplies for a few hours to patch up the broken pipes. Water supplies would be reduced for the next several days until the damage was completely fixed, said the water plant’s deputy director Dang Huu Tuan.

Residents in affected areas including parts of Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da and Thanh Xuan districts would experience low water pressure, he said.

A representative from Hanoi's Traffic Department said the collapsed section of the road was quite large, measuring four metres wide and five metres long. He said the structure of the road had been weakened due to heavy and frequent downpours.

The truck was examined and the department’s conclusion was that it was not overloaded when the incident took place.

After a week of fair weather, the scorching summer heat is to make a return to the capital. This is also a time when many residents suffer water shortages. Higher demand, depleted underground water sources and aging infrastructure have been cited by the city’s water companies as main causes to the shortages.

VNS