According to the Da Nang Water Supply Company (DAWACO), since 16 April, many families across the city have faced water scarcity during peak hours because the salinity levels of the Cau Do (Red Bridge) River have increased significantly in recent days.

The water level at the An Trach Dam is still slow, causing the shortage of water supplies in the city.

Over recent days, the salinity level of the river has exceeded the allowed limits of 1,000 mg/l.

In particular, the highest salinity levels of the river recorded at 7.15am on 15 April were 2,112mg/l.

The main reason is thought to be that the volume of water flowing from the Vu Gia river into the Yen River has been very low. As a result, water source has not been enough to ensure the smooth operation of the An Trach Pumping Station, causing the shortage of water supplies in the city.

Meanwhile, the Vu Gia River in Quang Nam Province is facing the exhaustion of water resource for supply to the An Trach Dam. In addition, hydropower reservoirs upstream of the Vu Gia River have stopped discharging water into the lower sections due to their severe shortage of water source.

In detail, on 14 April, the Song Bung 4 hydropower plant didnot discharge a large volume of water into the Vu Gia River as normal. Therefore, the water level of the Vu Gia River at the Ai Nghia Hydrological Station lowered from 2.45m at 7.00am on 14 April to 1.87m at 7.00am the following day.

On 15 April, the Song Bung 4 hydropower plant discharged water into the Vu Gia River at a capacity of 65m³/s.

However, the water level of the Vu Gia River at the Ai Nghia Hydrological Station was recorded at only 1.94m.

Therefore, on 16 April, the Song Bung 4 hydropower plant increased its discharge capacity to 131m³/s from the current 65m³/s so as to raise the water level of the Vu Gia River.

A spokesperson for DAWACO said the company cannot source water from the Red Bridge River because of high salinity, while the water level at the An Trach Dam is at alert levels of 1.6m-1.53m. This has resulted in a severe shortage of tap water, which has adversely affected daily lives of local citizens during peak hours.

DAWACO has, therefore, informed its customers about the current water scarcity to help them cope with this difficult situation.