According to the Da Nang Water Supply Company (DAWACO), since the start of this year, the city’s Cau Do (Red Bridge) River has suffered from severe salt-water contamination during 12 days from April to June. 

The Cau Do (Red Bridge) Water Supply Plant

The highest salinity levels of the Red Bridge River recorded in April and May were 507mg/l and 510mg/l respectively. However, the salinity hit a new record high of 1,655mg/l on 12 June, and 1,695mg/l on 13 June, around 7 times higher than the allowed limits.

DAWACO’s General Director Ho Huong said the main reason for the increasing salinity levels was to be high tides. In attempting to deal with the problem, the An Trach Pumping Station is now operating at full capacity to provide tap water for the Red Bridge and International Airport water supply plants. This has helped to ensure sufficient water for residents’ daily lives, agriculture and industrial production in the city.

During 12 days of salt-water contamination, all 6 pumps at the An Trach Pumping Station were put into operation during 250 hours, which resulted in a hike of the operating costs by 180 million VND.

Moreover, the city has seen a significant increase in the use of tap water due to a prolonged and harsh heat wave over recent days.

Therefore, DAWACO has to increase the total supply capacity to 290,000 cubic metres per day. Over recent days, the total water consumption capacity has reached between 285,000 and 287,000 cubic metres per day.

A pumping station has been put into operation at the Red Bridge Water Supply Plant

General Director Huong affirmed that DAWACO has been sourcing water from the An Trach Pumping Station to ensure sufficient water supplies for local consumers. Therefore, water flow and pressure in recent days are lower than that in normal days.

DAWACO is encouraging its customers to use tap water economically. The company will continue keeping regular contact with hydropower plants upstream of the Vu Gia River in Quang Nam Province to discharge water in accordance with the operating procedures of water reservoirs. It would closely work with the city’s power sector to ensure power supply for the operation of pump stations and water treatment systems, Mr Huong added.

In attempting to ensure sufficient water supplies for locals in the long term, DAWACO will implement a project on increasing water supply capacity at the Red Bridge Water Supply Plant by 120,000m³ per day, and build the Hoa Trung water supply plant with a daily capacity of 10,000m³ of water. The two projects will be implemented in the 1^st quarter of next year.

Mr Hoang Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that at a recent discussion about integrated management of the Vu Gia-Thu Bon River basin and Quang Nam-Da Nang coastline in Hoi An City, participating scientists pointed out several shortcomings in the operation of hydropower reservoirs in the basins of the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers. This was considered as one of the major reasons to cause severe shortage of tap water and the salinity of the water in the downstream areas during dry season.

Also at the meeting, the authorities of Quang Nam Province and Da Nang together proposed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment should adjust the operating procedures of the hydropower reservoirs in the coming time in a bid to deal with these problems.