Authorities in charge of the dam have stopped letting water flow out to the rivers for over two weeks, even though they are contracted to release at least 25 cubic meters a second to the Nuoc My, which merges into the Vu Gia several kilometers from the dam.
Daily life of people living along the rivers has been severely affected due to the exhaustion of water.
“Locals have to collect water from streams in forests to keep cattle and poultry. Rice fields and crops have also been threatened by the shortage of water,” said Ho Van Loi, a local from Ro Village in Ca Dy Commune in Nam Giang District.
In the lower reaches of the river’s stream, over 10,000 hectares of agricultural land in Quang Nam and Da Nang have encountered rising salt water -- a result of the lack of fresh water in the rivers. Some pumping stations located along the rivers have thus stopped working.
Over 5,000 households living in Hoi An Town have been supplied with salt water for the last two weeks, while the Hoi An Water Supply Company has no solution except to force the hydroelectricity plant to release water, said Ngo Duc Liem, the company’s director.
The hydroelectricity plant Dakmi 4 stopped releasing water out to Nuoc My river in Quang Nam Province two weeks ago (Photo: Tuoi Tre)