Acute water shortage for hundreds of households Hundreds of households in the Hoi Trung resettlement area in Ha Tinh Province have been facing serious shortages of clean water as the water in the area is heavily contaminated. Nguyen Quoc Le, a resident of Kim Quang Village, has to travel 30km each day to bring back clean water because the source near his home cannot be used for cooking or drinking. Le said the water has been polluted ever since they moved in, in August of last year.   Bringing clean water home Nguyen Thi Dieu, a resident in Kim Tho Village, said whatever they use to contain water turns black after a few days. "I clean these cups every day but they still look dirty," she said. Her son-in-law has to get clean water from elsewhere when he goes on business trips once a week. Several households are more lucky, as the water in their area is not contaminated. People from other neighbourhoods come and ask for clean water. However, these households are also worried because the clean water pumps have become unstable. One local said, "Over the last three months, the pump has been giving out less water than before. I had to spend money in order to bring in water from the stream even though I know it's where buffaloes bathe."     Water turns dark  Authorities have tried to use disinfectants but this proved to be ineffective; meanwhile 137 have moved to the Hoi Trung resettlement area giving land to Ngan Tuoi-Cam Trang irrigation project. About 138 wells were dug, yet two thirds of them cannot be used. According to the chairman of Huong Quang Commune People's Committee, 51 wells are now contaminated and several others have already dried up. Test results showed that iron levels are 26 times higher than what is considered acceptable.    A small plastic tank contains water for several weeks of use Tran Ngoc Hung, deputy head of the site clearance team for Ngan Tuoi-Cam Trang irrigation project said, "We conducted surveys on the water sources. Our consultants provided four solutions but we chose to drill wells at the people's request." Hung said that the problem can be solved if the water is left sitting outdoors for two hours, but he did not know the reason for the contamination. "We are seeking permission from the authourities to give financial support for the people to build water tanks. In the future, they will use water from the reservoir." By Phuong Vu, Dtrinews.vn