According to Mr. Vu Kien Cuong - Head of Ha Long Bay Management - after storm No. 3, all garbage was dumped into Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. In particular, storm No. 3 destroyed aquaculture areas in Ha Long, Quang Yen town, Cam Pha city, Van Don district, causing a huge amount of garbage to spill into the sea.
This “garbage crisis” in Ha Long Bay is different from the previous one because there are many types of garbage from many sources, making collection very difficult. The largest concentration of garbage is in the mangrove forest area of Dai Yen, Tuan Chau, the coastal road from Bai Tho bridge to Ha Phong ward, Ha Long city; at tourist attractions, the foot of the island, sandbanks, hidden coves… in the middle of Ha Long Bay.
According to Mr. Cuong, garbage is even stuck on rocky mountains at a height of over 2 meters due to waves and storm winds.
Therefore, garbage collection is even more difficult because it is not possible to use vehicles or machines, but must be collected manually.
However, according to Mr. Cuong, right after the storm, the Ha Long Bay Management Board coordinated with functional forces, agencies and units in Quang Ninh province to continuously organize garbage collection campaigns. In particular, priority was given to collecting garbage at tourist attractions to serve tourism.
From September 14 to September 23, 2024 alone, 1,127 personnel and 301 vehicles were mobilized to continuously collect floating foam buoys and bamboo rafts on Ha Long Bay; at the same time, collecting floating foam buoys and rafts drifting to the foot of islands and sandbanks on Ha Long Bay.
Ha Long Bay Management Board has strengthened environmental monitoring in the above areas and along the shore of Ha Long Bay every day, promptly detecting areas where garbage, bamboo rafts, and foam buoys are concentrated in sandy areas, along the coast, tidal areas, and mangrove forests to inform relevant localities and functional forces for collection and treatment.
After the peak period of garbage collection and cleaning of Ha Long Bay, tourist attractions on Ha Long Bay have been cleaned and sanitized to ensure welcoming tourists. A large amount of floating garbage in the waters, foot of the islands at the routes and tourist attractions has been collected and treated. From September 14, 2024 to September 23, 2024, 643m3 of garbage (mainly bamboo, styrofoam buoys) and 94 aquaculture rafts were collected.
However, the amount of garbage in Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay is still very large. In some coastal areas of Ha Long Bay, there are still bamboo rafts and foam buoys washed ashore by the waves. Although the authorities are still mobilizing forces to collect and clean up, due to the large amount of waste generated, the authorities have not yet completed the collection, so there is still waste that has the potential to spread to the Ha Long Bay Heritage area.
