Solutions to revive polluted rivers, especially the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system, were discussed by Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Dang Quoc Khanh at a Q&A session on June 4.

Khanh said the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) and localities have taken drastic measures to deal with pollution, but admitted that the improvements are modest because it is still impossible to stop wastewater discharge in industrial workshop clusters and craft villages.

Meanwhile, resources to develop systems to collect and treat wastewater, especially in large urban areas like Hanoi, remain limited. Currently, Hanoi is planning wastewater treatment plants in the districts of Long Bien and Gia Lam.

Khanh requested local authorities to join forces to treat wastewater to create flow and circulation. At times, Bac Hung Hai was pending as water from the Red River could not flow into it.

Mentioning the ministry’s responsibility Khanh said his ministry will advise the government to submit to the National Assembly a plan on allocating resources to treat polluted rivers, especially to restore flow.

“We are going to advise the government to set up a committee in charge of controlling river valleys to settle the problem,” Khanh said.

When Khanh said it will take time and resources to revive dead rivers, Nguyen Huu Toan, a National Assembly deputy, asked him how much time and resources will be needed, and how to deploy projects to settle pollution in all rivers.

Mai Thi Phuong Hoa, a National Assembly deputy from Nam Dinh, said Nam Dinh and other provinces located in the Nhue - Day river valley are suffering heavily from polluted water sources because of inflow of substandard wastewater.

She cited an MONRE report as saying that wastewater from craft villages and industrial wastewater account for the largest proportion of total wastewater, but wastewater collection remains modest.

She commented that where the more waste water is discharged, the less waste water treatment is implemented, and that while urban areas discharge waste, rural areas suffer. 

Regarding solutions to treat pollution of Nhue - Day Rivers, Khanh said that Hanoi’s waste water accounts for 65 percent of total waste water to the rivers, including 1,982 discharge sources from craft villages, 1,662 from business workshops and 39 from IZs and industrial production workshops.

MONRE has installed more environment monitoring systems on Nhue - Day Rivers, including five automatic stations and 42 periodic monitoring points. 

Quang Phong - Thu Hang - Tran Thuong