The level of arsenic, which can cause cancer if consumed for a long time, is up to 200 milligrams per liter in Hoai Duc District.

The Ministry of Health has regulated that drinking water must contain less than 0.01mg of arsenic per liter, and less than 0.05mg per liter for running water.

In the town of Ha Dong, the concentration of ammonia in the groundwater exceeds 100 milligrams per liter.

Ammonia can nurture pathogenic bacteria if the level exceeds 3mg per liter in running water and 1.5mg per liter in drinking water.

Just as bad, the city’s groundwater level is falling because of overexploitation. Indeed, Hanoi is estimated to use more than 700,000 cubic meters of groundwater each day.

There is great concern that the concentrations and spread of these dangerous chemicals will only worsen in the years ahead, says the report by the Center for Water Resources Zoning and Inspection, an arm of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Source: VNA