In reality, many rivers and canals in localities have been seriously polluted and narrowed, losing their peaceful beauty.
There are even rivers that seem to have “died” due to heavy pollution, no longer being real rivers because they only function to transport wastewater for the city. The most obvious characteristics are the foul smell and black water. Among them, we must mention rivers such as To Lich, Kim Nguu, Nhue River...
It is entirely possible to "save" heavily polluted rivers and canals. For example, in Ho Chi Minh City, the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe canal has now become clean and beautiful, a far cry from the heavily polluted state it once was. To achieve this result, Ho Chi Minh City has developed a very thorough renovation project that addresses the root cause of the problem.
Accordingly, the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal Improvement Project strictly follows the principles of transferring wastewater to the sewer to the centralized treatment plant, then sealing the discharge gates, then dredging down to the elevation to create enough drainage capacity for the canal.
In fact, not only in Vietnam but also in many countries around the world, there used to be dead rivers. However, up to now, they have succeeded in renovating and turning these rivers into attractive tourist destinations, such as the Thames River in England.
Regarding solutions, local authorities have tightened environmental regulations, including sanctions for violators in urban areas, moving factories and toxic industries out of the city, and restricting the traditional film washing industry - a major cause of heavy metal pollution in rivers...
In our country, the restoration of polluted rivers is considered a task that contributes to ensuring water security.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has previously developed a pilot project to restore rivers, including collecting and treating wastewater. The project is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister in 2025. If approved and there are sufficient resources, pollution in many rivers will be resolved within 5-7 years.
Experts say that to solve the pollution problem and "revive" the "dead" rivers of the capital in particular and other localities in general, it is necessary to consider comprehensively many aspects and many fields; placed in a master plan linked with other sectors.
However, renovating and cleaning rivers is only a part of reviving them, because after renovating, how to maintain the results is a matter of great concern.
To find solutions to "revive" polluted rivers and canals, Lao Dong newspaper organized a seminar with the theme "Saving the rivers" with the participation of experts, including: Prof. Dr. Tran Duc Ha - Senior Lecturer of Hanoi University of Construction and Dr. Dao Trong Tu - Head of the Executive Board of Vietnam River Network.
Through the discussion, experts will discuss and point out the limitations in the solutions that many localities have implemented in the past; lessons learned from countries around the world, thereby proposing solutions suitable to the situation and conditions of Vietnam. Propose solutions to the people and management agencies...
The discussion will be conducted and broadcast live on Lao Dong electronic newspaper (laodong.vn) at 2:00 p.m. on December 25, 2024. We invite interested readers to follow.
