In-depth
Lai Chau villages develop after access to electricity
  • | VNS | February 08, 2016 11:16 PM

 Many poor remote mountainous villages of the northern province of Lai Chau have access to the national electricity grid making their lives more convenient.

Workers repair electricity system in Lai Chau Province. It is expected that 92.6 per cent of villages in the province will have electricity by the end of this year.

Ca Van Ngoan, head of the Nam Cay Village in Nam Hang Commune, Nam Nhun District, said that the village had more than 200 households with more than 900 people. Most of them were Thai ethnic minorities.

Earlier, without electricity, the lives of local residents was hard and it was difficult for them to access information.

To receive electricity the residents needed to install mini electric generators by themselves making use of the stream water. There used to be many mini electric generators along the stream in Nam Cay Village, but the generators only worked when the stream was full. When it was shallow, they had to use oil lamps, Ngoan said.

The Lai Chau authorities built the Nam Cay transformer station to reduce the difficulties in the lives of residents. The station was completed in December, 2014.

Since then, the living standard of residents has improved.

More than 85 per cent of households in the village have rice grinders. More shops and restaurants have been set up to serve the demand of local residents.

Farmers also used machines and modern technology in agricultural manufacturing.

All of the households in the village had television.

At present Nam Cay Village led the list in the Nam Hang Commune in developing breeding.

Ca Thi Choan, a resident in Nam Cay Village, said that formerly she had to use an oil generator whenever she wanted to rub rice and she felt sick after smelling the oil for long.

After receiving electricity, Choan's family spent VND5 million (US$220) on an electric rice grinder machine.

"My children can also study in the evening, while I study a lot about effective breeding methods via television," Choan said.

Nguyen Van Hong, chairman of the Nam Hang Commune People's Committee, said that four villages in the commune still did not have electricity. He hoped that the State and concerned organisations would pay more attention to set up the electricity grid to improve the lives of residents.

A spokesperson for the Lai Chau Electricity Company, said that by the end of this year they expected to provide 92.6 per cent of villages in the province with access to electricity.

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