VietNamNet Bridge – Bio-diversity in Nha Trang Bay is under serious threat, according to Truong Kinh, director of the Nha Trang Bay's Sea Protection Management Board.

Kinh said local scientists had raised the alarm over pollution in the bay after samples of sea water analysed last year showed level of iron and hydrocarbon that exceeded regulated limits.

The water samples are also polluted by micro-organisms, with samples from the mouth of the Cai River showing the highest levels of pollution.

Water from the Cai River brings salt, iron and micro-organisms to Nha Trang Bay, with the increasingly polluted water leading to higher levels of bacteria and algae that harm the coral reef and threaten to unbalance the bay's eco-system.

Kinh said authorities should spend more time sampling water in the bay.

"There were only two checks last year, and before that the last check was conducted in 2007, while the previous one was in 2005," he said.

He also urged related agencies to enhance awareness on the importance of protecting the environment among the public and enterprises while raising fines for environmental violations, especially for enterprises caught discharging untreated sewage into the bay.

* River pollution kills 62 tonnes of fish

A large number of fish have died in the Cai River in southern Dong Nai Province, causing pollution to the environment and putting many local farmers in debt.

The Farmers' Association of Thong Nhat Ward in Bien Hoa City, through which the river runs, has reported that an estimated 62 tonnes of fish have died this year.

Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment director Le Viet Hung said it was not the first time fish in the river had died in such large numbers, the problem had been recorded since 2002.

It was estimated that 130 tonnes of fish died each year, causing a loss to farmers of about VND9 billion (US$450,000).

"River pollution was one of the reasons for the mass fish deaths," he said.

"Many factories operating along the two banks of Dong Nai River, of which the Cai River is a branch, discharged waste water into the river, causing pollution."

Farmer Nguyen Dinh Thang said water near his fish farm was so polluted it stunk.

"The water turned brown and bubbled up," he said.

Thang said he borrowed billions of Vietnamese dong to buy fish and did not know what to do to pay the debt as most of his fish had died.

However, Hung said farmers' methods were partly responsible for mass fish deaths.

"An increase in the number of fish raised in a particular area of water sharply reduces the content of oxygen in the water, causing fish to die," he said.

Also, the farmers themselves discharged untreated waste from their fish farms into the river, causing pollution that affected the living areas of the fish, Hung said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News