A dozen households in Hanoi have been living in unsanitary conditions as a result of sewage water rising to their doors.
A house on Quan Thanh Street serves as the residence for 12 families and has only one sewage pipe that runs under the common yard and three other homes before it merges with the city's sewage system.
Black water submerges common yard
In July of last year, a resident of the home, Nguyen Xuan Minh, decided to block the section of pipe which runs underneath his home. Sewage water quickly rose and submerged 300 square metres of living area. In some places, the water is over one metre deep.
Le Ba Hung, another resident, said, "I've been living here since I was 10. Even when it rained and submerged many parts of the city, this place stayed relatively dry. Since the pipe was blocked, we have had to live in unhygienic conditions. We reported the situation to many agencies but nothing has been done."
Water rises to the doorsteps
Another resident commented that the elderly and children are the ones who suffer most. "My family has to use nets to cover the windows and doors so that flies and mosquitoes don't come in," she said.
Bui Thanh Xuan, vice chairman of Quan Thanh Ward People's Committee, said that authorities have tried to work with Pham Xuan Minh but he refuses to cooperate. Xuan added that Ba Dinh District People's Committee issued two requests for inspection of the residences in October, 2013 and May, 2014. Each time an inspection team has arrived, however, Minh has caused problems.
They are still trying to find a solution to the problem.
