The households living by the river have to close their doors all day or move elsewhere because of the foul smell coming from the rubbish and rotting fish. The farmers had to shut down the farms as the fish keep dying. The locals also worry that the underground water used for daily activities may be polluted. 

Hoang Dang Truong from An Mong Village said Chau Giang River had been polluted for years and caused severe damage to the fish farms. Last year, his family borrowed money to raise fish but the fish died overnight. 

"Chickens and pigs were sick after eating the fish. We owe tens of millions of debts and don’t know how to repay them," Truong said.

Song Market looks like a rubbish tip due to the amount of waste dumped there.

The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment said discharged water from Hanoi was the cause of the pollution. The untreated wastewater was discharged into To Lich River and then entered other rivers downstream including the Nhue, Chau and Day rivers in Ha Nam Province.

Hanoi’s authorities have promised not to let wastewater pass through Thanh Liet Dam but this hasn’t happened. Many people also continue to dump rubbish in the river, worsening the pollution.

Lao Dong/Dtinews