In many places, people have to use salty water.

Ben Tre spends 36 billion VND to have raw fresh water

On March 7, news from the Ben Tre Province Hydrometeorological Station said that salinity of 5‰ has appeared for many days in rivers flowing through Ben Tre City (Ben Tre Province). It is forecasted that salinity will gradually increase in the coming time. Saltwater intrusion in rivers has negatively affected the lives and production of more than 50,000 households in Ben Tre.

Nhiều nơi, người dân phải dùng nước nhiễm mặn- Ảnh 1. — The shortage of fresh water for daily life is causing difficulties for people in coastal districts of Ben Tre province.

Mr. Tran Thanh Binh, General Director of Ben Tre Water Supply and Drainage Joint Stock Company, said that the company is managing 5 water plants (Son Dong, An Hiep, Luong Quoi, Huu Dinh and Cho Lach) with a total capacity of 70,000m3 ^/ day and night, supplying water to 96,480 households and organizations in Ben Tre city and the districts of Chau Thanh, Giong Trom, Mo Cay Bac and Cho Lach. Raw water sources are taken from Tien, Ba Lai, Co Chien and Giong Trom rivers.

Recently, at many raw water intake points, the water has been contaminated with salt, so the company has implemented a plan to buy water from barges carrying raw fresh water to supply An Hiep Water Plant and then mix it into Huu Dinh and Son Dong Water Plants. It is expected that in the next 3 months, the company will spend up to 36 billion VND to buy raw water at a price of 18,000 - 22,000 VND/ ^m3 .

"This plan forces us to increase the price by 4,000 VND/ ^m3 because the water is supplied from raw water purchased from barges. Although the price has increased, the total revenue and expenditure is estimated at only 7.2 billion VND/month, resulting in a loss of about 4.8 billion VND/month. Only this way can we ensure timely supply of fresh water to important agencies with strict requirements on water salinity such as hospitals, schools, hotels, factories, etc. As for water plants that cannot increase raw fresh water, they will have to bear it," Mr. Binh stated the current difficult situation.

Nhiều nơi, người dân phải dùng nước nhiễm mặn- Ảnh 2. — Chin Thuoc Canal, which brings water from Mo Cay area to supply water to thousands of households in Thanh Phu district, has been affected by saltwater intrusion since before Lunar New Year 2024.

According to Thanh Nien reporters, for many days now, most communes in the three coastal districts of Ba Tri, Thanh Phu and Binh Dai have seen tractors carrying water from rare underground water sources in the area to sell to households at prices ranging from 100,000 - 300,000 VND/truck (about ^1m3 ).

"My family uses water from Thanh Loan Water Supply and Drainage Company (private company - PV) but since Tet Giap Thin until now, the water has been so salty and turbid that when washing hair, it doesn't foam, we have to rinse with rainwater... so we have to buy water from tractors," said Ms. T. (residing in Tan Phong commune, Thanh Phu district).

Tien Giang opens 28 taps to provide free fresh water to people

On March 7, speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thinh, Chief of Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Tien Giang province, said that the salinity level on Tien River in My Tho city is currently at 2.2 to 3.2‰, higher than the same period last year, which has negatively affected the lives and production of more than 51,000 households. Currently, the water treatment plant in My Tho city has temporarily stopped operating, while some raw water plants in Cai Be district are still operating to supply the remaining areas of the province.

Nhiều nơi, người dân phải dùng nước nhiễm mặn- Ảnh 3. — People in the eastern part of Tien Giang province wait to get fresh water at public fresh water taps.

To ensure fresh water for irrigation and daily life of more than 1.1 million people in Tien Giang and Long An, Tien Giang province has closed Nguyen Tan Thanh dam while the second largest saltwater prevention irrigation project in the West is still under construction.

The canals and streams in the Go Cong freshwater area (including the districts of Cho Gao, Go Cong Tay, Go Cong Dong and Go Cong Town) and Tan Phu Dong island district (Tien Giang) are gradually drying up. This is an area without fresh groundwater, so the story of salt water is always the biggest obsession for the residents here.

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Thinh, the current demand for fresh water in the Go Cong and Tan Phu Dong freshwater areas is about ^80,000m3 /day and night, while the maximum supply of pipelines is only about ^60,000m3 /day and night. Therefore, the province has opened 28 public water taps in Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong districts to provide free water to the people. Currently, the pipeline from Dong Tam Water Plant has exceeded its capacity, leading to some taps at the end of the line in the eastern region being weak, lacking water locally and very difficult to fix.

Along with the story of fresh water for daily use, about 100,000 hectares of fruit trees in Tien Giang are also "struggling" to cope with the "salt enemy". However, the experience of preventing and combating saltwater intrusion over many years of the people and the efforts to implement many irrigation projects in Tien Giang province in recent times are still showing effectiveness.

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