The Northern Union for Planning and Investigating Water Resources has found an underground reservoir in Vietnam’s northern province of Ha Giang’s Meo Vac district, said a local official. With the discovery, more than 8,750 locals in Meo Vac town and Pa Vi commune will get 80 liters of clean water a day, Head of the exploration team Tong Ngoc Thanh said. The reservoir at a depth of 170 meters is expected to meet the water demand for daily use and production of local residents, he added. The districts of Meo Vac and Dong Van have been suffering from a prolonged drought that could last until next April, the Centre of National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said. Vietnam is still listed among countries facing water shortage although it has a dense system of rivers, experts said, urging the government to tighten management on water resources otherwise it will face more serious water shortage in the coming years. The country now has 2,372 rivers, with 109 of which supplying 830 billion cubic meters of water for the country yearly. (Vietnam News Dec 31 p3, Ha Noi Moi online- New Hanoi Dec 31)
