Le Thi Nhut, a local resident, said she had to get up at around 3 am to take water from a mountainous area which is some three kilometres from her home.

A corner of Cham Islands

Over the past four days, the water tank in Bai Bim area has almost dried.

Vo Phuc Sinh’s family is in the same situation. Every day, he has to come to the mountain to wash and then transports water home. 

According to Ngo Tan Hung, vice chairman of Tan Hiep Commune, the islands are suffering from long droughts which have worsened the lack of water.

Meanwhile, the high number of visitors means more pressure on the islands’ environment, including the islands limited fresh water supply in the summer, litter, sewage, and exhausting seafood resources.

Over recent days, the water tank in the Bai Bim area was temporarily closed so that local authorities can check whether any problems happening to the water pipelines.

Tran Thi Hong Thuy, director of the Cham Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA), said that around 2,500-6,000 visitors arrive on the islands per day, compared to the 3,000 tourist capacity. Local authorities are trying to limit the number of people on the islands to ease the issues the locality is facing.