In early September 2024, floods on the Gam and Nang rivers poured into Tuyen Quang hydroelectric reservoir in Na Hang and Lam Binh districts, carrying away a large amount of garbage, mainly broken tree trunks and branches and plastic waste.
Floating trash covers the water surface with an affected area of more than 4,500 hectares. This situation has lasted for more than a month, affecting waterway safety, aquaculture and tourism activities on the lake.
According to the reporter's records in mid-October 2024, tree trunks, branches, leaves, and plastic bottles and nylon bags were mixed together to form a patch covering the waterfront of Tuyen Quang hydroelectric reservoir and along the lake shore in Da Vi and Yen Hoa communes of Na Hang district.
Many places in Lam Binh district such as the entrance to Khuoi Nhi waterfall, Lam Binh wharf area and Coc Vai are all beautiful tourist spots, attracting a lot of tourists but are now also covered with trash.
Mr. Mac Van Tien (Phuc Yen commune, Lam Binh) said that he has been fishing for more than 20 years on the Tuyen Quang hydroelectric reservoir, but this is the first time he has seen so much trash.
"Catching shrimp and fish is much more difficult because the water surface is covered with trash. Pulling up the net only reveals trash, and traveling by boat is also more difficult. I think with such a large amount of trash, it will take a long time to clean up," said Mr. Tien.
According to the authorities, the amount of floating garbage is about 25,000m3. The lake surface area is more than 8,000 hectares, so cleaning is difficult. Organic waste will sink after 1-2 months of soaking in water, but bottles, styrofoam boxes, and plastic bags will still float for a long time.
Informing reporters, Mr. To Viet Hiep - Chairman of Na Hang District People's Committee - said that this is the first time Tuyen Quang Hydropower Lake has such a large amount of garbage, while the district does not have specialized vehicles, so garbage collection is very difficult.
"This morning (October 19), the district organized a ceremony to collect garbage on the surface of Tuyen Quang Hydropower Lake with the participation of many forces. At the same time, the district continues to promote people to join hands to clean up garbage and protect the environment of the lake," said Mr. Hiep.
Some recorded images:
Tuyen Quang Hydropower Plant was built in late 2002 and officially inaugurated and connected to the national grid in 2008. The large reservoir area stretches over 8,000 hectares on the upper reaches of Gam River and Nang River.
With 3 units, total capacity of 342 MW, this is the 5th largest hydroelectric project in the North to date, with an average annual electricity output of nearly 1.3 billion kWh.
