Climate change has a huge impact on HCM City’s water resources, the head of its public water utility has warned. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) HCM City (VNA) - Climate change has ahuge impact on HCM City’s water resources, the head of its public water utilityhas warned.
“Climate change, especially drought andsaltwater intrusion [into rivers], has directly affected the Dong Nai and SaigonRivers, making water treatment difficult,” said Tran Van Khuyen, Chairman ofthe Saigon Water Supply Corporation.
To cope with this, the corporation has activelyworked to adjust the water supply master plan, incorporating provisions tobuild more lakes and tanks to store treated and untreated water and pumpingstations.
Now water in the Dong Nai and Saigon River havesalinity levels of 12mg/litre, 2mg higher than normal but lower than at thesame time last year when it was 30mg/litre.
“This year we don’t need to worry about the salinity level because the allowedlimit is 250mg, and we plan to draw water from Dau Tieng and Tri An Reservoirsand from under the ground to reduce salinity levels,” Hoang Ha, head of thecorporation’s water quality management department, said.
Dang Hoa Vinh, head of the HCM City NaturalGeography Institute’s Water Resource Department, said: “This year the droughtis not expected to be as serious as last year thanks to prolonged rains.”
Vinh said Cu Chi district has a number of lakesand they can be used to store water for the dry season.
“HCM City can build more water storage lakes along rivers.”
Vinh also requested the Saigon Water SupplyCorporation to install pipes to bring water directly from Dau Tieng and Tri AnReservoirs to water pumping stations.
“We will need a huge investment in the beginning, but we can ensure the qualityand quantity of water for the long term in the context of climate change andmore serious droughts and saltwater intrusions in future.”
The corporation has completed two water storagelakes with a combined capacity of 180,000 cubic metres at the Thu Duc and TanHiep Water Supply Plants, and is preparing to build more water lakes in Binh Chanhdistrict soon.
Experts said authorities should consider building rainwater storage lakes inoutlying districts like Cu Chi, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh and Can Gio.
“Rainwater is the freshest, cleanest and safestwater source. People can use rainwater without treatment. Rainwater storagewill save expense and ease water supply pressure on utilities,” Vinh added.-VNA
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