The lifespan of people living in polluted craft villages in Vietnam is ten years shorter than the country’s average lifespan, according to a report of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MoNRE).

A polluting kiln at a craft village in the North.

The MoNRE’s report about the environment at craft villages of Vietnam 2008 shows that in many villages, the rate of sick people (especially working-age people) is increasing.

The average lifespan of residents in craft villages has decreased, and is now ten years below the country’s average lifespan. Compared to the average lifespan of people in non-craft villages, the average lifespan of craft villages is 5-10 years lower.

MoNRE made a survey of seven craft villages (Nha Xa silk village, Doi Tam drum village, Hop Ly alcohol village, Mao Cau rice sheet village, Dai Phuc village, La Mat stone village and Nhat Tan village) and seven non-craft villages (Yen Nam, Trac Van, Hop Ly, Que Town, Ngoc Son and Liem Phong) in the northern province of Ha Nam.

The results were: The percentage of villagers who catch skin and respiratory diseases, diarrhea, and eyesores in craft villages is much higher than in non-craft villages, for instance, the ratio of people who suffer from respiratory diseases is 40-50%, diarrhea 10-80%, skin diseases 20-70%.

According to research works at craft villages in Hanoi, breathing, ear-nose-throat and skin diseases are very common.

Environmental pollution at waste recycling villages is the most serious. There are four groups of frequently-found diseases in these villages, namely lung diseases, digestive diseases, eyesores and female diseases, lung cancer and phthisis.

The urgent problem at craft villages is liquid and solid waste discharged directly into the environment, causing severe air, water and underground water pollution.

The MoNRE has named 13 craft villages that cause serious pollution: Bao Vinh in Hue city city, Nha Xa in Ha Nam province, Dong Tan-Dong Hung villages in Thanh Hoa province, Van village in Bac Ninh, Lac Dao, Minh Khe, Minh Khai, Lieu Xa in Hung Yen province, a slaughtering village in Hai Duong, dyeing and weaving villages in Thai Binh, a tapioca processing village in Hue, and Phuc Lam village in Bac Giang province.

The MoNRE said that the major solution to tackle pollution at craft villages is moving them or restructuring and improving production, and applying advanced technology in waste treatment.

KT