People in some areas in Hanoi are facing serious water shortages after a major pipeline that transports water from the Da River Plant broke for a thirteenth consecutive time on August 13.

Hundreds of households living in Nguyen Dong Chi Street in Nam Tu Liem District were left without water for more than a week and are queuing daily to get water from a truck provided by the Vietnam Clean Water Investment and Construction Corporation (Viwaco).

More than 100 families living in an apartment block in Lang Ha Street, Dong Da District have also faced the same situation for the past 10 days. Resident Tran Minh said in a phonecall to DTiNews on August 19 that people had to climb up and down stairs to take water from a storage basin on the ground floor.

"We’ll have to buy water at VND100,000 a cubic metre if there isn’t any supply in the coming days when the basin goes dry," Minh said.

It is reported that many areas including Phuong Liet Ward in Thanh Xuan District, Dinh Cong Ward in Hoang Mai District and O Cho Dua Ward in Dong Da District have also faced serious water shortages for some ten days since the pipe break.

Director of Viwaco, Nguyen Van Viet told Vietnamnet Newspaper on August 17 that the situation may still continue.

"We’ve fixed the pipe but we need to reduce pump pressure so that it will not break again," Viet eplained. "In the meantime, we’ll transport free water to people's homes."

Director of the Hanoi Department of Construction, Le Van Duc, in a meeting on the problem on August 19 urged the Vinaconex Water Supply Company to quickly start the construction of the second Song Da pipeline, saying that Hanoi Clean Water Company will take over the project if Vinaconex fails to start work by October.

Duc said that water demand in the capital had increased 10% annually. "We’re also planning to build a 300,000 cubic metres a day water plant on the Red River this October," Duc said.

Vinaconex Water Supply Company recently said it would open international bidding for the construction of the second Song Da pipeline which is expected to completed by May 2016.

Nguyen Van Ton, director of Vinaconex said the first pipeline had a capacity of 300,000 cubic metres of water a day, with the new pipeline set to double capacity, acting in parallel to ensure water supply for the capital.

The first pipeline went into operation six years ago, but has ruptured 13 times, raising concerns about construction quality.

The Ministry of Construction said the material was unsuitable for supplying such a huge amount of water.

Vinaconex invested in the VND1.5 trillion (USD68 million) project, and its affiliate, the Vinaconex Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyester Pipe Company, supplied the pipes. Seven officials from Vinaconex Glass Fibre were prosecuted on July 14 for regulatory offences.