While the two-week contaminated water crisis has not yet been resolved for over 16,000 residents at the Thanh Ha Urban Area in Thanh Oai District, many residential areas in other districts including Thanh Xuan, Nam Tu Liem, and Hoai Duc have also faced serious water shortages.
Nguyen Thi Phuong, a resident in Phung Khoang Street, Nam Tu Liem District said local households had run out of water for the past 10 days.
"We've had to buy mineral water for drinking and cooking and asked for tap water from surrounding areas," Phuong said. "Some families have drilled wells to ensure supply although the underground water in our area is contaminated."
In Thanh Xuan District, some 200 households in Khuong Mai Ward have also faced water shortages.
"The water supply has always been a big problem in our area," a resident, Nguyen Truong Duy, said. "The tap water pressure is very weak and we don't have enough for daily use.
Many other residential areas in Hoang Mai and Hoai Duc districts have also complained about water cuts or water shortages in recent months.
Explaining the situation, the municipal construction department said that the current total water supply capacity of 1.50 million m3/ per day and night of local water companies can only meet the demand of urban areas and 85 percent of rural areas.
"Some outlying districts are facing limited water supply with only 80 percent of Thanh Oai, 42 percent of My Duc, 58 percent of Ung Hoa 58 percent, 60 percent of Thuong Tin, and 65 percent of Phuc Tho having access to water supplies - the department said. "In addition, some areas in the city centre have also recently experienced water shortages as the Fresh Water Business and Investment Construction Company is lacking water sources for its Da River Water Plant."
"We're going to upgrade some water plants including the Da, Bac Thang Long and Duong river water plants as well as build a Red River Water Plant," Du said. "We hope to resolve the water crisis when these projects are completed."