Over the last 3 days, some of Da Nang’s districts, including Hai Chau, Thanh Khe and Lien Chieu, have been suffering a shortage of tap water.

According to the Da Nang Water Supply Company (DAWACO), the reservoir of the Bung River Hydropower Plant No 4 in Quang Nam Province’s Nam Giang District began storing water on 7 August.  As a result, the city’s An Trach Dam’s water level has been low at just 1.7m and the Red Bridge River has been suffering from severe salt-water contamination.

Dam sluice gates

The Deputy Director of DAWACO, Mr Nguyen Huu Ba, said that the An Trach pumping station normally supplies 210,000m³ of water per day providing An Trach Dam’s water level is over 2m, but the pumping station cannot operate if the dam’s water level is under 1.6m.  Since 10 August DAWACO has been sourcing raw water from the An Trach Dam instead of from the Red Bridge River, which has been suffering from salinity for a long time.  Over recent days, the An Trach pumping station has only been supplying about 150,000m³ of water per day for local residents, a shortfall of 50,000m³ of water per day on the demand for tap water during these hot summer days. 

To ensure the stability of water supplies, DAWACO is now working closely with local concerned agencies to require more water be discharged into the lower sections of the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers in Quang Nam Province.  This will help to ensure water supplies for the daily lives of the city’s residents, along with its agricultural and industrial production activities and the service sector.