05:05, 31/05/2020

Providing access to safe water in Suoi Lau

A water supply system was put into use in Suoi Lau Commune, Cam Lam District in early 2020, providing hundreds of households' access to clean water...
 

A water supply system was put into use in Suoi Lau Commune, Cam Lam District in early 2020, providing hundreds of households’ access to clean water.
 
Suoi Lau has 3 villages, namely Suoi Lau 1, Suoi Lau 2 and Suoi Lau 3, where there are more than 550 families with 2,530 residents, mostly Raglai ethnic minority people. The 3 villages are severely disadvantaged with locals mainly earning their living by farming on mountain fields with low income. 71 households are without land for production and 251 households lacking land for production. Besides, residents in Suoi Lau used to suffer from lacking access to safe water sources for several years.
 
A resident named Mang Van Tuong in Suoi Lau 1 says, “We used to depend on water from irrigation channels from Suoi Dau Lake and streams. Streams are often dried up in dry seasons or with muddy water rainy seasons. The use of untreated water caused health risks, digestive problems, fever, etc."
 

 

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Checking water supply system in Suoi Lau.
 
 
To solve the water shortage for Suoi Lau residents, Cam Lam District People’s Committee invested in a water supply system in early 2019 in Suoi Lau with a total cost of nearly VD10 billion funded by the program 135, including such main work items as a pumping station, a raw water supply system, water treatment system, a management house, pipes, water meters at 550 homes. The water supply system was put into operation in January 2020, facilitating hundreds of local residents’ access to safe water. The system is even more helpful during the on-going drought causing water scarcity in many places, especially Suoi Cat Commune.
 
Another resident named Mang Loi, Suoi Lau Village 2 is happy but still worried. “We are glad to have access to clean water, but the water cost (VND5,500-6,000/m3) is quite high for us compared with our income. We have no wells. Far from irrigational systems, we use much water, more than 35m3 a month from the water supply system. We have paid more than VND200,000/ month for the water, quite high for our income,” he explains.
 
Le Thanh Huy, Vice-Chairman of Suoi Cat Commune People’s Committee says the water fee applied in 3 villages in Suoi Lau is VND5,500 for 1-10m3 of water and VND6,000 for 10-20m3. Water bills for the first 3 months were at VND5,000/m3, lower than regulated. The expenditures exceeded the revenues in the first 3 months. To operate the water supply system for 3 months, VND48 million was spent on the purchase of raw water, electricity, water treatment chemicals, labor force, etc while the total receipts from users were only VND22 million.
 
Water meters have been installed at more than 550 homes, including 200 having registered for the water supply. The reason is that the water bill is relatively high for locals. To reduce the cost, Suoi Cat Commune People’s Committee has proposed Khanh Hoa People’s Committee would direct Khanh Hoa Irrigation Exploitation Company, Ltd. to provide raw water free of charge to the water treatment system in Suoi Lau to help the 3 severely disadvantaged villages to access safe water with lower fees.
 
Hai Lang
Translated by N.T