Householders in some areas of Vientiane have expressed concerns about red colored water when they turn on their taps, prompting questions about the quality of the capital’s supply. However, an anonymous official from the Vientiane Water Supply Company (Nampapa Nakhoneluang) told Vientiane Times on Friday that householders shouldn’t be too concerned about unclear water as workers are repairing broken pipes in the area.
“When water pipes are being fixed after a break some sediment will flow down the pipes. That’s why the water has been dirty when some taps are turned on,” he said. He advised affected residents to leave their taps on for a few minutes to allow the water to run clear again. The official said that if the dirty water was due to faulty treatment plants, all areas in Vientiane would have been affected.
The Vientiane Water Supply Company has four water treatment plants with a combined daily production capacity of 180,000 cubic metres, but this increased to 280,000 cubic metres when a plant in Dongmakkhay, Xaythany district, came on line recently. An additional 300,000 cubic metres of water will be available when another water treatment plant becomes operational in Hadxaifong district in the near future.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has set an ambitious target to provide most of the country’s households with clean drinking water. The provision of water supplies will spur development and improve the lot of many ethnic groups, with the plan set to be rolled out through the newly created Water Department.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Dr Bounchanh Sinthavong previously said that clean water and water supply systems were a major part of efforts to eliminate poverty in the country. The 10th Party Congress resolved to ensure that 80 percent of households have access to clean water by 020. The plan called for at least 85 percent of households to have access to water in 2015, and more than 95 percent by 2030.
Source: Vientiane Times
