Vietnam – Clean water and dream houses for Mekong Delta communities
When I was sent to the communities in Minh Hoa in the summer of 2000, I was dismayed to discover that people were using contaminated water from nearby canals for their drinking, cooking, and other daily needs. Water pollution also affected agricultural production and made their lives more difficult.
Minh Hoa ward, with an area of 4,718 hectares, is located in the Chau Thanh district of Kien Giang province in the Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam and is home to around 23,000 people (as of 2020).
Many families also live in dilapidated houses, with no dry place to sleep when it rains. They work hard to earn money and their hope is to have enough food each day, where some only have one meal every two days.
In recent years, a severe shortage of fresh water emerged, particularly for those living in remote areas, and is caused by pesticide pollution and saltwater intrusion.
Excessive use of insecticides contaminated the previously clean water from small rivers and canals. Villagers rely on rice cultivation which used to be an annual event with minimal pesticide and fertilizer use. However, with the advent of multiple rice harvests per year, farmers now use large amounts of chemicals, polluting the water sources. (See related article, As climate changes, Mekong farmers try floating rice)
Saltwater intrusion is a significant contributor to the fresh water crisis and has a negative impact on farmers’ livelihoods. Communities in remote areas are the worst affected as they do not have access to the government’s fresh water supply system. Often, the roads in these communities are too narrow for water tankers to transport fresh water. Residents are forced to use polluted water for daily activities, leading to frequent illnesses such as scabies and intestinal diseases, particularly among women and children. Read more…
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