HA NOI (VNS)— A lack of fresh water is seriously affecting the lives of families who stay in a resettlement area in the central province of Ha Tinh, while the local authorities have not yet introduced any effective measures to tackle the issue.
Located in Huong Son District’s Son Tay Commune, the Tan Lap resettlement area opened its doors to the residents of hamlet Cay Tat in 2010 when the Government took control of their land to build the Cau Treo International Border Gate Economic Zone (CTIBGEZ).
The CTIBGEZ project’s management board, the resettlement area’s main investor, had originally promised to provide them with clean drinking water, but so far they have not kept their promise, according to local resident Dinh Thi Xuyen.
“Four out of 28 families have moved out due to the severe shortage of pure water,” said Xuyen, adding that the rest had had to dig numerous wells but none of them managed to find fresh water.
Pointing out the yellow layer of scum lying on top of the well’s water, Xuyen said that after boiling water from this well with green tea leaves, the water would turn black.
The local residents now have to get water from small streams for daily use.
Water pollution is also being blamed for the opening a new kindergarten in the area being delayed, even though it was built nearly two years ago.
In addition, the local infrastructure, including roads and irrigation canals, are badly in need of repair due to a lack of comprehensive planning, which put off even more residents from moving there.
A report complied by the Ha Tinh Monitoring Centre last August said the water in the area is polluted with a range of dangerous substances including iron and harmful bacteria, which exceed acceptable limits.
“If the commune had known that the water in the resettlement area was contaminated, we would not have let our residents move there,” said Le Dinh Vy, chairman of the Son Tay Commune.
The communal authorities have asked the district many times for problem to be addressed but so far they have not received any feedback, said Vy.
According to Tran Bau Ha, head of the GEZ projec’st management board, the water sources in the Tan Lap area used to be clean and pure but have become polluted due to geological changes in the locale.
“We are working out ways of solving the issue,” said Ha . — VNS
Đăng ký: VietNam News