Nearly 900 households in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak are in the grip of a severe water shortage as a result of an extended drought.

Thousands of farmers in remote districts are grappling with the situation, with those in Krong Bong suffering the most as almost all of wells there have dried up altogether.

Y Krial Bya, Vice Chairman of the Yang Reh communal People’s Committee, said he was very worried as the number of households lacking water for daily use is increasing, especially those in ethnic minority areas.

A facility supplying clean water for 167 ethnic housholds in the commune has gradually degraded since its opening in 2007. Now it is only capable of providing sufficient water for 60 families, he said.

If the dry weather continues until the end of March, the suffering households in Krong Bong district will climb to 1,500, he noted.

Even in the province’s Buon Ma Thuot city, the water supply is running low, and has even been cut off for short periods of time.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as of the end of March, around 6,000 households in the far-flung districts might not have access to water should the drought continue.

Local authorities have called on residents to use water economically, share it with others, dredge dry wells, and seek groundwater for daily use.

The province also directed competent sectors to examine ineffective clean water supplying facilities and seek clean water for people in remote areas in the foreseeable future and the long run.-VNA