Hanoi authorities organized a meeting recently to consult with experts on the project to pump water from Red River into To Lich River to dilute To Lich’s water, and clean up the pollution.

According to Vo Tien Hung, general director of the Hanoi Water Drainage Company, the Hanoi People’s Committee is the investor of the project, while the company and the Technical Institute of Water Resources, an arm of the University of Water Resources, act as consultants.

Under the project, water will be pumped from the Red River to the West Lake, and when the water at the West Lake reaches a certain level, outlets will be opened to lead water from the West Lake to To Lich River.

It is estimated that 134,000 cubic meters of water will be pumped every day for 26 days a month. The project is estimated to cost VND150 billion.

Under the project, water will be pumped from the Red River to the West Lake, and when the water at the West Lake reaches a certain level, outlets will be opened to lead water from the West Lake to To Lich River.

Former director of the Hanoi Water Drainage Company Le Minh Chau said in 1996-1998, the city organized workshops on the same topic and many experts participating in the 2019 workshops were participants at workshops held 20 years ago.

“If we cannot reach an agreement about the implementation of the project, the idea will never be implemented,” he said. “Another workshop may be organized again after 20 years. However, the participants at today’s workshops may not be able to be present at the workshop in 20 years."

Chau said the project designed by consultants can satisfy all the technical, economic, environmental, cultural and historical factors. He stressed that the West Lake and To Lich River urgently need to be rehabilitated. If not, Hanoi will no longer have the lake in several years, but will only have a lagoon, while To Lich will be a dead river.

Former Vice Mayor of Hanoi Dong Minh Son also thinks that it is necessary to use the water of Red River to save To Lich River. However, he said in the long term, the city needs to apply more radical solutions to rescue the environment of the rivers and lakes in the inner city.

Tran Hong Con, a lecturer at the Chemistry Faculty of the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences, said it cannot settle the problem to the root.

“I don’t like this solution. I want a more radical solution,” he said, adding that the solution will help dilute the waste water of To Lich and push wastewater downstream. 

Thanh Mai

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