Quit each drop of water
According to a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper in early July, in Enh hamlet in Cao Son commune, Phu Tho province (Tan Minh commune, Da Bac district, old Hoa Binh province) - where over 170 households with 3 ethnic groups Tay, Dao, Muong live together - clean water has become a long-standing concern for many years.
According to Mr. Luong Van Yeu, Deputy Head of Yen Hamlet, in the past, in the Yen Market area, a centralized clean water project was built in the form of self-flowing water.
However, in the past 4 years, the project has had a broken water pipeline from the stream to the tank, so it has stopped operating. No one repaired it, people returned to use a bamboo meetable to bring water from streams and streams for daily use. The rainy season is still mild, but in the dry season, water shortages occur frequently.
In reality, the clean water project in Enh hamlet has seriously degraded, a corner of the surrounding wall has collapsed, the water pipe is rusty, the tank is covered with moss and weeds.
Ms. Luong Thi Huan, who lives next to the project, uses the old tank to dry rice. She said that before the project was still in operation, clean water was convenient for daily use and irrigation. Since the project stopped operating, her family had to pull a tree longer than 300 meters to bring water back.
"The water source from the stream is unstable, the dry season is dry, especially in March and April. Because there are dozens of households that take water from the same source, the pipes are extended, so they have to travel many times a day to check the water," said Ms. Huan.
Not far away, Ms. Lo Thi Tinh's family lives right next to Quyen stream - the main water source of the village. Ms. Tinh also uses a water bottle to lead water to a small tank to store water for daily use. However, the water is still not enough to use during the dry months. "There are currently about 20 winches, the dry season, families fighting and arguing with each other. There is water in the rainy season but the water is often broken, so it is difficult to get rid of water every season, she said.
When will clean water return?
According to Mr. Luong Van Yeu - Deputy Head of Enh Hamlet, the clean water project was previously managed by the old Management Board. After the damage, people have repeatedly petitioned the authorities but it has not been repaired yet.
"People still have many difficulties, the rate of poor and near-poor households is high. Without clean water, the quality of life is clearly affected, especially the health risk due to untreated water sources. The biggest wish is that when the commune and province are merged, the new government will pay more attention to practical issues such as clean water, something that people have long expected, Mr. Yeu shared.
The concerns about the quality of water sources of Mr. Yeu and the people of Yen hamlet are well-founded. In the water tanks of some households, there was a lot of mud and leaves at the bottom of the tank.
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Vu Tien Tan, Head of the Economic Department of Cao Son Commune, said that the commune established working groups to survey and grasp the reality in the villages, especially the issues that people are still concerned about.
"For the clean water project in Enh hamlet, we will check the specific status. If the project can still be used, there will be a repair and maintenance plan. In case the project is no longer operational, the commune will propose a new investment plan, based on the synthesis of resources that can be mobilized, Mr. Tan informed.
While waiting for the survey and investment plan from the locality, the people of Enh hamlet continue to depend on the small stream flowing through the village. The roads extend from the source to each roof, still the only way for each family to store each drop of water for daily use.
