Over the past few days, people in drought-affected areas in the Mekong Delta have been collecting rainwater in tanks or reservoirs to store for daily use during next year's dry season.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thao (residing in Quoi Son commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province) said that the recent drought and salinity lasted too long, his family lacked fresh water and had to use a car to get water for use. Currently, his family has completed the construction of a cement tank to store water. In recent days, there have been many heavy rains in the area, so his family has collected rainwater in the tank to store for use in the dry season next year.
Similar to Mr. Thao, Mr. Truong Van Thuong (living in Tan Dien commune, Go Cong Dong district, Tien Giang province) said that drought and salinity usually occur after Tet, when canals and streams will be contaminated with salt, sometimes even dry up. Therefore, if there is rain in the previous rainy season, water will be stored for use in the following dry season. This water source is prioritized for daily life and livestock farming. "It is the rainy season now, so my family will take advantage of collecting rainwater in tanks for storage," said Mr. Thuong.
In addition to people using items to store rainwater, the government has been implementing many projects to cope with the dry season.
Mr. Le Van Son - Chairman of the People's Committee of Go Cong Dong district (Tien Giang province) - said that during the recent drought, the locality installed 62 public water meters in the area, corresponding to 74 water taps for people to collect water in cans and bring home for use.
Regarding long-term solutions to ensure domestic water sources for coastal residents when drought and salinity occur, Mr. Son said that the People's Committee of Tien Giang province has a plan to support coastal localities in the area.
Accordingly, water pipes in coastal communes and towns will be connected to the province's tap water pipeline from now until 2025 to ensure that about 95% of households in the area have water to use 24/7. For the remaining households in remote areas, social mobilization will be mobilized to invest in tap water pipes to provide people with water for daily use.
In Ben Tre, the Lac Dia freshwater reservoir project (Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province) is under construction. This project, with a total investment of more than 352 billion VND, is invested by the Ben Tre Provincial Management Board of Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects, with an implementation period of 2021-2025. With a capacity of about 1.3 million m3, Lac Dia Lake is considered the largest artificial freshwater reservoir in the West under construction.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dien - Director of the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects for Agricultural and Rural Development Works in Ben Tre Province - said that as of September 20, 2024, the contractor had completed about 80% of the contract value for package 01 of the Lac Dia freshwater reservoir project, and about 30% of the contract value for package 02. When completed and put into use, the Lac Dia freshwater reservoir will provide domestic and production water for people in Ba Tri district, ensuring that everyone has uninterrupted access to clean water, especially during the dry season.
