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Causes of water pollution
As we said earlier in the definition of water pollution, there are a lot of sources of pollutants, ranging from pesticides, fertilizers, petroleum, harmful pathogens, plant nutrients, etc. However, in this section we will only talk about three main causes that are fueling the flame of water pollution. These three causes are: a lack of water treatment system; a company's or corporation's inability to handle waste; and a lack of people's responsibility for environmental protection.
Untreated wastewater and garbage discharged by households and businesses directly into streams and rivers in the southern city of Cà Mau have led to blockages. — VNA/VNS Photo Kim Há
A) Lack of water treatment system
The first cause is Vietnam's lack of water treatment facilities in its cities. The country only has 43 wastewater treatment plants in all of its cities as of late 2019, and together they could only manage to treat 13% of the urban wastewater (Vnexpress, 2019). An example is Hanoi. In the capital, there are six fully operational wastewater treatment plants that treat approximately 200 000 cubic meters of sewage water per day. That might sound like a lot, but that is only 22% of the city’s sewage water. The rest goes straight from houses and restaurants to the environment (Vietnam News, 2019).
Raw sewage flows into the environment. Photo courtesy of Dong Nai's online news portal
B) Lack of regulations on private companies and enterprises
The second reason is that a lot of companies and corporations cannot manage their own waste, so they decide to just pour those waste into Vietnam's beautiful rivers and streams, which is also Vietnam's two main water sources for the the population (Viet Vision Travel, 2018). For instance in December 2016, police had caught a ceramic tile factory that dumped industrial waste into a river in Dong Nai province.
Pak Vietnam, the company responsible, was caught pumping sewage into the Thi Vai river. Reports from VNA stated that the untreated waste flowed through a drainage ditch into a nearby industrial park before settling in a section of the Thi Vai river. However, a company representative denied it and said the sludge was from coal gasification, but investigators still ordered the factory to halt its dumping (Vnexpress, 2016).
Wastewater from Thang Loi Industrial Cluster has reportedly the irrigation canal of An Hung Commune. — Photo vov.vn
There is also a more recent case in 2019, where small factories in the northern part of the city of Hai Phong, more specifically the ones in Thang Loi industrial cluster in An Hung Commune, An Duong District. According to local resident Tran Van Ba, the farmers used to use the water from the commune’s irrigation canal, but now they didn’t dare. The main reason for this according to Van Ba “The water of the canal turned black and smelled after factories released their wastewater into it,” (Vietnam News, 2019).
Dead fish found on the beach in Ky Anh Town, Ha Tinh Province. Photo: Nguyen Dung/Thanh Nien
C) A low sense of environmental protection
Thirdly, the sense of responsibility for environmental protection in general is still very limited among investors, economic organisations and communities, and some people's main focus is still grounded in the short-term economic benefits instead of the environment (Hoi, Ht., 2020).
The most well-known example of this is the 2016 Vietnam Marine Life Disaster, where around 70 tonnes of dead fish washed up on more than 200 km of the Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue coastlines, and also decimated the tourism industry in those provinces. The cause of this? Toxic discharges from a Taiwanese-owned steel plant called Formosa Ha Tinh Steel are to blame. The chairman of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, Chen Yuan Heng, has apologised. Also, a subsidiary of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group, which had pledged 500 million dollars as compensation (The Guardian, 2016).
Saigon River being polluted
The lack of general awareness and reasonability for environmental protection could be very clearly seen in Ho Chi Minh City. According to the Asian Research Centre for Water Resources and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, just one city citizen could throw away 350g to 7.2 kg of plastic trash into rivers and there is so much trash in rivers that a cubic metre of water in the Saigon river contains between 10 to 233 plastic pieces (Vietnam Net, 2019).
Solutions for water pollution
The polluted Lich river in Hanoi, Photo: Vietnamnet
I. Don't litter
The first solution is as simple as that. There is really no expertise required in order to do that. In spite of this, many choose to ignore this, which then leads to tremendous consequences, such as our rivers, lakes, and oceans being full of different kinds of garbage, making freshwater sources like rivers and lakes undrinkable, etc. Now, it might be very tempting to think that it is only 1 piece of trash. How could it cause that much damage? But try to imagine what would happen if 1000, 100 000, or even millions more people thought the same way.
Then it will definitely lead to consequences like we just mentioned. So, always be mindful and pick up your trash, because you don’t know how your small actions could help people from dying of water-borne diseases and the next generation from fighting over clean water.
Illustrated image.
II. Don't throw out still useable items
II. Don't throw out still useable items
This is also very similar to the one above, which is extremely simple to do and only depends on whether the user wants to do it or not. If the user wants to, then there are benefits to this, not just environmental benefits like fewer chemicals discharged from the factories that produce your products.
However, there are personal benefits as well, such as saving money by not purchasing something you already own that is still usable, being very useful for long distance travel, and so on. Some of you may ask, "What if the items get way too dirty?" Then, in order to counteract this for some items such as file folders, shopping bags, shoes, or other non-electrical or paper items, they are quite easy to wash and just use some towels to wipe up the dirt away.
Example of repurpose plastic bottle to plant pot
Glass jar repurpose to object holders
Leather Whales • Recyclart
III. Be creative with your trash
III. Be creative with your trash
Not only that, your trash could be your next amazing art piece, if you have enough enthusiasm and creativity to accomplish it. Some of the examples include turning plastic bottles of different shapes and sizes into pots for plants; leftover glass jars could be turned into pencil holders; cool art projects from different types of bottle caps; and many more. If you want to know how to do these things, you can search on the internet. There are numerous tutorials that you may find helpful and interesting. The only major downside to this is that it can sometimes be very time-consuming, especially for large projects, but if you have the will and enthusiasm, you can pound through anything.
Government's plans to tackle the problem
Now that we have seen our proposed solutions in order to tackle this huge problem, we will move on to see what our government has been doing in order to alleviate the effects of water pollution on the population. We will check out their plans to improve future water quality.
I. Reinforcing waste management
A wastewater treatment plant in southern Sóc Trăng City. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Hiếu
The first we're going to discuss is Decision 450. This is a plan focused on the regulation of wastewater treatment and solid and hazardous waste management, particularly in metropolitan areas and industrial parks. It stimulates investment in sophisticated recycling facilities while gradually phasing out small-scale, manual recycling businesses that pollute craft villages. It also supports the growth of recycling industries and industrial parks. The government requests funding for the modernization of garbage collection machinery, the extension of solid waste collection networks in rural areas, and the system of transfer stations in metropolitan areas.
The focus on waste management draws attention to investment prospects in Vietnam's waste-to-energy industry, which is a promising waste treatment concept. The decision also recommends classifying, processing, and recycling plastic waste. Vietnam will stop using and distributing single-use plastic goods and non-biodegradable plastic packaging after 2025. Vietnam will also halt producing and importing products that include microplastics beginning in 2030 and will support the creation of environmentally friendly materials. Investors can also consider creating packaging out of sustainable materials like paper, bamboo, seaweed, and cornstarch.
Rubbish, mostly plastic, strewn across a beach on Hòn Sơn island in the southern province of Kiên Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Vũ Thành Đạt
II. Controlling pollution in the marine environment and islands
The decision calls for investment in contemporary infrastructure and machinery for treating domestic waste and hazardous wastewater discharges in coastal towns and islands like Phu Quoc and Con Dao in order to monitor and prevent pollution in coastal areas.
Vietnam's discharge treatment system is currently antiquated and unable to cover a large area. According to the Vietnam Water Portal, metropolitan areas collect only 12.5 percent to 15% of wastewater. Vietnam also needs an additional US$10 billion in investment from business ventures, according to the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA). By implementing cutting-edge technology, investors may step in and plan investments in wastewater treatment plants for coastal communities, making the systems more effective and capable of handling sewage on a greater scale.
Residents receive free clean water from a water supply site in Ben Tre province (Source: VNA)
III. Plan for rural residents water access
III. Plan for rural residents water access
The second government's plan is the National Rural Clean Water Supply and Sanitation Strategy with the vision of 2030 to 2045. The aim of this is that by 2030, 65% of Vietnam’s rural population will use clean water, at least 60 liters per person per day, and 100% of households, schools, and medical facilities will have clean toilets (Vietnam plus, 2022).
The government targets raising the rate of treated rural wastewater by 15% over the next decade and 30% by 2045. Also 2045 will see 100% of the rural population using clean water. The rate of breeding farms having a waste treatment system should reach 75% in 2030 and 100% by 2045. How will they do it? In order to achieve these goals by 2030 and 2045, they have outlined different solutions, such as the construction of large-scale clean water supplies in the rural areas similar to those in urban areas to ensure effective and sustainable operations. It also focuses on the application of the model of safe water storage in households, the pilot model of clean water kiosks and ATMs to directly provide clean water in rural residential areas and schools (Vietnam plus, 2022).
Sources
Photo sources
Front page display photo
https://www.onlinebiologynotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/water-pollution-678x381.jpg
Untreated wastewater and garbage discharged by households and businesses directly into streams and rivers in the southern city of Cà Mau have led to blockages. — VNA/VNS Photo Kim Há
https://vietnamnews.vn/environment/536807/nearly-90-of-city-sewage-ends-up-in-rivers.html
Black sewage stream was discovered by people flowing from the coal yard of Dong Nai Coal Enterprise
http://www.baodongnai.com.vn/tintuc/201710/phat-hien-mot-cong-ty-xa-nuoc-thai-ra-moi-truong-2848898/
Raw sewage flows into the environment. Photo courtesy of Dong Nai's online news portalportal
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnamese-tile-maker-caught-dumping-waste-into-river-3520310.html
Wastewater from Thang Loi Industrial Cluster has reportedly the irrigation canal of An Hung Commune. — Photo vov.vn
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/factories-in-residential-area-blamed-for-water-pollution-551754.html
Polluted water (Illustrative photo - Source: VNA)
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-struggles-to-deal-with-urban-water-pollution/107386.vnp
Dead fish found on the beach in Ky Anh Town, Ha Tinh Province. Photo: Nguyen Dung/Thanh Nien
Saigon River is being polluted
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/saigon-river-threatened-by-plastic-waste-594490.html
Heaps of trash encroach on Luong Ngoc Quyen Street in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20210506/trash-abounds-on-saigon-streets/60761.html#gallery-1
The polluted Lich river in Hanoi, Photo: Vietnamnet
https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/japan-to-help-hanoi-clean-up-to-lich-river-15707.html
Example of repurpose plastic bottle to plant pot
https://resources.pepsicorecycling.com/resources/plastic-bottle-planter-lesson/
Glass jar repurpose to object holders
https://www.onlinehsa.com/8-things-you-can-repurpose-at-home/
Leather Whales • Recyclart
A wastewater treatment plant in southern Sóc Trăng City. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Hiếu
https://vietnamnews.vn/society/351187/new-solution-for-urban-water-drainage.html
Rubbish, mostly plastic, strewn across a beach on Hòn Sơn island in the southern province of Kiên Giang. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Vũ Thành Đạt
Residents receive free clean water from a water supply site in Ben Tre province (Source: VNA)
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/rural-residents-in-mekong-delta-need-access-to-clean-water/174087.vnp
Causes of water pollution
The Guardian (July 1, 2016) Vietnam blames toxic waste water from steel plant for mass fish deaths
Vnexpress (December 28, 2016) Vietnamese tile maker caught dumping waste into river
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnamese-tile-maker-caught-dumping-waste-into-river-3520310.html
Vietnam News (October 12, 2019) Nearly 90% of city sewage ends up in rivers
https://vietnamnews.vn/environment/536807/nearly-90-of-city-sewage-ends-up-in-rivers.html
Vietnam Agriculture (April 13, 2022) Vietnam needs 20 billion USD to treat urban domestic wastewater
Vietnam News (July 18, 2019) Factories in residential area blamed for water pollution
Vietnam Net (December 03, 2019) Saigon River threatened by plastic waste
https://vietnamnet.vn/en/saigon-river-threatened-by-plastic-waste-594490.html
Vnexpress (March 13, 2021) Air pollution top environmental concern among Vietnamese citizens
Government plan
Pham, C. (June 01, 2022) Vietnam Approves Long Term Strategy on Environmental Protection: Decision 450
Vietnam plus (January 03, 2022) National strategy aims to provide clean water to rural residents by 2030
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