People in a village in the central province of Thanh Hoa have been in dire need of water for daily activities and farming for years.

Fields are facing serious water shortage

My Loi Village, located in Thanh Vinh Commune, Thach Thanh District, is isolated by hills and difficult roads. The village’s entire population is Muong ethnic minority people. For many years, up to 70% of the local population has to suffer from a serious shortfall of water.

Bui Thi Huong, a local resident, said, “My family has two wells but still lacks water. We have to get water from Vo Dai Dam during the five-month dry season. Water for agriculture is completely dependent on the weather.”

Currently, the village has 70 wells; all but 3 are dry from November to March.

Because of the village’s terrain, wells that are 12-15m deep, some even with a depth of 40m, have no water. Many wells must be dug to depths of between 30m and 50m to find water. Even these dry up within a short time.

The water shortage has also reduced agricultural output. Nguyen Thi Xuyen said that, “Her family grows 1ha of sugar cane, but the field has encountered drought over the past few months. Now we can expect only 3.5 tonnes/ha.”

A village without men

The village has 149 households, and up to 70% are in difficult living situations.

To improve the situation, local men often must leave home to earn a living. Mrs Thu, a local, said, “Men all move away after Tet. We stay to take care of children and do the farming work. However, the water shortage makes things very hard.”

In many families, both husband and wife leave their homes and families to earn money. During the dry season, many old people have to walk for over 3km, crossing mountains and hills, to carry water.

Nguyen Van Loc, Chairman of Thanh Vinh People’s Committee, said, the lack of water in My Loi has been a problem for many years. In 2008, through the Government\'s Programme 134 on supporting ethnic minority people, My Loi got VND400 million (USD19,138) to install a water supply station which begins at Vo Dai Dam. The station helped to provide water for 50% of local people in the dry season. But after five months of operation, the water ran out.

He added that the local authorities are seeking investment for the construction of a pipe from Vung Su Dam, in Thanh Minh Commune, that would serve My Loi.

Locals must travel kilometres to find water

The water shortage has reduced agricultural output.

A dry well