Preliminary statistics show that Ca Mau province has about 12,000 households at risk of lacking domestic water. Some households were forced to exchange water from boats at prices up to more than 40,000 VND/m3.
Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Director of Ca Mau Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that up to now, the whole province has about 12,000 households at risk of lacking domestic water at the end of March and in April due to drought. causing local water shortages in many places.
In fact, because there is no additional source of fresh water, up to now the domestic water source of Ca Mau residents is mainly stored in the rainy season months and exploited underground from the ground. Therefore, most places that lack water do not have a networked water system or cannot drill underground water.
People in Bien Bach commune, Thoi Binh district do not have fresh water and have to buy it from water boats at prices ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 VND/m3.
Bien Bach commune (Thoi Binh district) has 1,847 households, but more than 450 households lack running water. Adjacent to the border, there is a domestic water supply station located in Tan Bang commune. However, in recent months, the dry season has been harsh, so many people have had to go without water for several months.
To get water, people have to buy it from water boats at prices ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 VND/m3.
Mr. Le Tuan Anh (living in Bien Bach commune, Thoi Binh district) said that for about 3 months his family has had to buy water from the boat. There are 3 people in the house, the couple and their child are very frugal and spend nearly 500,000 VND on water each month. Meanwhile, the family’s main income depends on Mr. Tuan Anh’s employment, which is only about 2 million VND/month.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung also added that he and his wife and children have had to use salt water for bathing and washing dishes for the past few months.
“At this rate, if the drought season lasts a few more months, this neighborhood will probably be ‘thirsty’ for water,” Mr. Tung shook his head in frustration.
Faced with the above situation, the Agriculture Department of Ca Mau province recommends that people use water sparingly and proactively use available tools to store domestic water to prevent the underground water level from lowering, making it difficult to take water. The authorities are also reviewing households lacking water to find support solutions such as providing water tanks, upgrading and expanding water supply systems, etc.