Haunted by the unbearable stench from the polluted Nhue and Day rivers

“Quá hôi thối, không thể chịu nổi” là cảm nhận của bà Bùi Thị Tiếp (phường Kiến Hưng, Hà Nội) khi hàng ngày phải sống gần khu vực sông Nhuệ. Bà cho biết, không chỉ mình bà mà cả 3-4 thế hệ trong gia đình bà cũng phải “sống chung” với mùi nồng nặc của đoạn sông ô nhiễm này.

Too smelly, unbearable" is the feeling of Ms. Bui Thi Tiep (Kien Hung ward, Hanoi) when she has to live near the Nhue River area every day. She said that not only her but 3-4 generations in her family also have to "live with" the pungent smell from this polluted river.

Theo chia sẻ của nhiều người dân, sông Nhuệ (đoạn chảy qua quận Hà Đông trước đây)

The Nhue River section flowing through Ha Dong district (old) has long become a nightmare for residents on both banks. "The stench, day and night, on days when the weather changes, even if the doors are closed, the stench still creeps into the dishes and sleep" - Ms. Bui Thi Tiep shared about living with pollution.

Waste patches form large blocks. The flow seems to be completely paralyzed, turning the river, which was originally an irrigation source, into a "dead river".

chân cầu mậu lương 1 nước thải xả thẳng ra đổi màu

Sewer ducts still discharge untreated wastewater into the river. Images recorded at a drainage culvert at the foot of Mau Luong 1 bridge, the water changes to 2 solid colors, carrying an unpleasant odor.

Not only black, the surface of the Nhue River also has white foam, many dense patches clinging to the banks.

Not only the Nhue River, records in the Day River area flowing through Dong La commune (Hanoi) also fall into a similar situation. The water flow here has lost its vitality, leaving only stagnation with a strong stench surrounding residential areas.

Although it is already polluted under the river, people still freely throw garbage on the shore even though there are no-spill signs. The smell of garbage combined with the smell of river water makes people uncomfortable.

Mr. Phan Van Chien (resident of Dong La commune) could not hide his discomfort every time he had to cross the bridge across the river: "The smell is terrible, everyone who passes by has to hold their breath. Partly because of the river water, partly because of many people's habit of littering indiscriminately, this scene has been created.

Close-up of the dense black water that is almost out of circulation, with layers of garbage accumulating densely on top. When the flow is blocked, life under the riverbed gradually disappears, replaced by thick patches of unpleasant waste.

Not only is it an environmental pollution problem, the deadlock of the Nhue - Day river system is directly affecting people's health and lives. These rivers have to struggle every day to receive large amounts of waste and domestic wastewater, causing the water environment to become increasingly depleted.

Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and related ministries and sectors are urgently implementing the overall project to renovate and restore the Nhue - Day, Ngu Huyen Khe and Bac Hung Hai river systems. The project is expected to be submitted to the Government in June 2026, bringing the aspiration and belief of the people about a day when green will return to the historical rivers.