Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company who are working on a plan to clean Hoan Kiem Lake have confirmed that no turtle is living in the lake.

There is no turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company Director Vo Tien Hung said they were working with the Research Institute for Aquaculture to cast a net to protect animals in the lake. They found some fish but did not detect any turtle.

Hung cited a report from local experts as saying that all turtles lived in Hoan Kiem Lake had died. The last turtle died on January 19, 2016.

"However, when dredging and cleaning the lake, we did consider solutions should be taken if Hoan Kiem Lake still had turtles. We were careful when netting but didn't find any turtle," he said.

The project to clean Hoan Kiem Lake will last from November 28, 2017 to February 7, 2018, and cost VND29bn (USD1.2m).

Hung said Hoan Kiem Lake was seriously polluted and had lost the ability to clean itself. The lake water had worsened as several sections have lost its iconic green colour, even turning quite red. The mud at the bottom of the lake is around a metre deep, containing heavy metals and high algae density.

Before the process was started, the company collaborated with the military to remove bombs and other explosives that dated back to the American War.

dtinews