People hope to have clean water soon
For many years, every dry season, people in some areas of Bien Bach commune have struggled to find domestic water. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Bich, residing in Thanh Tung hamlet, Bien Bach commune, Ca Mau, said that in the dry season, her family has to buy water at high prices to serve daily life.
For many years, every dry season, my family struggled to exchange each cubic meter of domestic water at a very high price. Hearing the news that the province is about to expand the pipeline to bring clean water to the place, supporting storage tanks, people here are very happy," Ms. Bich shared.
Bien Bach commune currently has 53 households living scattered and facing difficulties in accessing domestic water. This is a particularly difficult area due to the lack of groundwater for exploitation. Among them, 24 households on Canal 18, Canal 19 and Tu Thanh Canal routes agreed to dig ditches on their family land to install pipelines. The Rural Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation Center will support materials, labor, water meters and connect them to the existing water supply system.
With 29 households on Canal 15 and a half, Canal 16 and a half - Ranh Hat and Canal 500, the section from Canal 11 to Canal 14, connection is difficult because people do not have land fund to build tanks, lack counterpart funds, vehicles and water storage equipment.
Households unanimously proposed to be supported with plastic tanks for long-term use. According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, some units plan to sponsor about 300 1-m3 tanks for local authorities to consider and allocate to suitable households.
Not only is there a water source shortage, but the operation of the water supply system in some areas also faces obstacles due to insufficient electricity supply. Through surveys, Thoi Binh Power Company agreed to propose upgrading the power grid from 1-phase to 3-phase so that the water supply system operates stably and with sufficient pressure, especially in the dry season.
Mr. Le Van Day, Vice Chairman of Bien Bach Commune People's Committee, said that the locality is urgently preparing the necessary conditions to coordinate the implementation of the water supply plan.
The commune is focusing on carefully reviewing the list of 24 households needing to expand pipelines, 29 households receiving tanks, ensuring the right subjects, publicity, and transparency. At the same time, the locality is mobilizing people to agree and be ready to support working days to accelerate progress," Mr. Day said.
850 billion VND needed to proactively control water sources
Faced with the situation that people have difficulty accessing clean water, Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee has requested departments, branches and localities to synchronously implement short-term and long-term water supply solutions.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ca Mau province To Hoai Phuong said that the Provincial People's Committee has agreed to adjust the investment policy for a number of water supply projects in the area.
Including the project to invest in building, upgrading, and expanding 11km of pipeline network in Bien Bach commune; the project to invest in water treatment works and expand 17km of pipeline network in Khanh Lam and Khanh An communes; and the urgent domestic water supply project in rural areas of Ca Mau province in the 2026-2030 period.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment urges relevant units to complete dossiers, prioritize the deployment of pipeline networks in Bien Bach commune, and strive to complete water supply connections for people before the 2027 dry season.
In addition to Bien Bach, Nguyen Phich commune currently has about 369 households facing difficulties with domestic water due to groundwater being contaminated with alum and not ensuring quality.
Initially, the Center for Clean Water and Rural Environmental Sanitation coordinated with local authorities to expand 7km of water supply pipeline network, meeting the living needs of more than 100 households.
For the remaining households, due to sparse and dispersed populations, they will continue to organize people's meetings to agree on appropriate plans, possibly expanding the pipeline network, building 48m3 reservoirs or supporting water tanks.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment proposes a plan and list of investments to build centralized water supply plants according to the plan. In the 2026-2030 period, the estimated investment cost is about 850 billion VND.
Ca Mau province also orients to reduce dependence on groundwater sources, gradually shifting to effective surface water exploitation. The goal is to gradually limit and move towards stopping groundwater exploitation for domestic use when there is a stable and safe alternative supply source, contributing to ensuring water security.
