Water is essential for all life on Earth.

In the commune Can Giuoc, nestled in the Mekong Delta, a 3-kilometer-long canal flows through the countryside, adorned with pink lotuses on its surface and golden flowers lining its banks. Houses are scattered along both the canal and the village road. While a motorbike can travel from one end of the village to the other in just 15 minutes, laying a water pipeline through this maze of natural waterways and dispersed homes is anything but simple.

The two communes of Can Duoc and Can Giuoc lie at the estuary of the Soai Rap River, where saltwater intrusion into rivers and aquifers has worsened due to climate-induced sea level rise in the Mekong Delta. During El Niño years - notably in 2016, 2020, and 2024 - prolonged droughts swept the region, leaving more than 20,000 people in Long An province without access to running water. In those desperate times, families relied on bottled water or sporadic charity tankers sent from distant locations.

In the past, people depended on water from the sky and ground — from rainwater, canals, and private household-owned groundwater stations. But over time, even these sources failed.

“After the 2000s, we began hesitating to use canal water as it turned dark and oily. Groundwater wasn’t any better — it turned yellow, thick with alum, and smelled like rust,” recalled Mr. Giang, a 67-year-old villager in Can Duoc town. “The hardest time was during the peak of the 2024 drought, when private owned groundwater was not sufficient for household use’ .”

Ms. Dang, a retired teacher shared that “my family connects to two groundwater supplies, of which one is more than 1km far away, yet still did not have enough water during saline dry season’ 

Years ago, residents voiced their concerns to local authorities and called for urgent investment in public water infrastructure. They knew it would be a heavy burden on the state budget - building a water treatment facility for saline river water and laying pipelines across scattered settlements is costly. Needless to say, they were overjoyed when they saw URENCO begin installing the public water pipeline in their village in June 2025. 

Enable clean water pouring out of household taps

WWF’s Water Stewardship Programme launched in March 2025, played a pivotal role. The programme has mobilised corporate funding and collaborated with local authorities to identify public water providers: URENCO and CANWACO.  These two water utility companies invested in the pipeline, while the WWF programme covered labor and machinery rental costs for building a stretch of 6 kilometers of pipeline. Around 400 households will connect to this essential water supply service.

“The Can Duoc authority is very grateful for WWF’s support in extending the water supply pipeline. It contributes to the local government’s prioritized goal of ensuring water security for residents,” said Mr. Tuan, a civil servant from the Commune People’s Committee, during a field inspection of the installation.

His comments were echoed by Mr. Cuong, Director of URENCO - the only utility water provider in Can Duoc sourcing water from the surface river and mandated by the local government to supply treated water to the entire district. The remaining five providers are household-owned, pumping groundwater into storage towers and serving only 60–100 households each.

Ms. Dang, now sits beside her new URENCO-installed water meter. She said ‘“After WWF support the water pipeline extension to my neighborhood, all people are very happy. Now I feel secure for my family's wellbeing with this new clean water supply.” Still, she remains slightly concerned about supply reliability during future droughts and earnestly reminds URENCO of its responsibility to ensure a continuous water supply.

Meanwhile, 20 kilometers away, Ms. Thuy, a 53-year-old vendor in Can Giuoc, despite having connected to three private groundwater supplies, decided to subscribe to the CANWACO public water supply without hesitation. She believes that water quality from a public utility is more trustworthy. Up until now, she has been using the three wellwater sources only for washing and cleaning, relying on bottled water for drinking and cooking. Now, she eagerly looks forward to switching to public water for all her household needs.

The success of this project lies not only in pipes and pumps but in trust, partnership, and shared vision. Utility companies and local governments, supported by WWF, are investing in technological and institutional innovations to ensure that even saline, polluted river water is treated and reliably delivered 24/7 to household taps - and at an affordable price.

Through this collective effort, the people of Can Duoc and Can Giuoc are securing their right to clean water. By supporting this extension of treated river water supply to the community, WWF and our partners aim to a shared goal of gradually phasing out the groundwater abstraction in Mekong Delta, so that to preserve precious slow-to-replenish aquifers and keeping the delta from further subsidence. 

[Blog preview photo credit: @WWF-Viet Nam ]