Strange smelling Hanoi tap water worries citizens

Pham Thi Hanh, a resident in Hoai Duc District, said since October 10, she had noticed a very strong smell from tap water. At first, her family thought the smell would go away after a while but they later found out that everyone in the apartment block suffers from the same problem.

"Since we haven't heard anything or announcement from the authorities, we do not dare to use to the water and buy bottled water," she said.

Anh Vu, the owner of a cafe in Thanh Xuan District, also has to buy bottled water to maintain business because of the same problem. Vu said the smell got worse after boiling or being mixed with other ingredients. Vu said he bought three bottles of water each day just for the business.

Many other households in Nam Tu Liem District have reported the same problem and resort to buying bottled water. "My neighbours said the water had a foul smell after we started using water from Da River Water Company," said Nguyen Thuy Phuong.

Nguyen Huu Toi, director of the Fresh Water Business and Construction Investment Joint Stock Company (Viwaco), the water supplier for southern Hanoi, said they had asked Hanoi Preventive Medicine Centre to test the water after receiving the reports. They also sent an official document to Da River Water Company and other agencies about this problem.

"Environmental and economic police are investigating the case. We haven't received feedback from Da River Water Company yet," he said. Lao Dong/Dtinews