Environmental treatment to clean up 26 polluted lakes in Hanoi will be completed by the end of next year, said the municipal Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Truc Bach is one of 26 contaminated lakes in Ha Noi which will be cleaned by 2010 according to a plan by local authorities.

This is part of a commitment by the local authorities to improve the situation of serious environmental pollution across Ha Noi toward 2010.

Expenditure for this project which has been approved by the municipal People’s Committee stands about VND30 billion (US$ 1.6 million).

After finishing the pilot project at seven heavily contaminated lakes which began in July, 26 other embanked lakes including Bach Thao Park’s lake, Truc Bach, Thu Le, Giang Vo, Nghia Tan, Thanh Cong, Bay Mau will be treated.

According to Khanh, there are four different technologies which rely on micro-organisms to enhance the oxidisation in the water, exterminate poisonous weed and dilute pollution.

Rivers and lakes in Ha Noi are well-known for their contamination as most waste water is untreated and discharged directly into rivers and lakes. This has combined with a continuous increase in discharged waste water and increased concentration in pollution.

Khanh announced a plan to improve waste water treatment at the head of the To Lich River during next year’s third quarter. The system will separate and collect waste water along the two river banks then transfer waste to the station for small-scale concentrated treatment.

Next year, the use of micro-organisms to treat waste water at a household level will be introduced to residents living near the river.

Khanh said: “As of now, every industrial park which has come into operation is required to have its own station to treat waste water. From 2010, every newly-built industrial park, before receiving enterprises, will have to build waste water system simultaneously with infrastructure.”

“The big problem is many sewage systems which were built many years ago are not capable of separating waste water from rain water which causes difficulties in the whole process,” said Khanh.

By the end of this year, Ha Noi authorities will implement several models to collect and transfer daily rubbish and construction waste with the participation of wider stakeholders and in accordance with each specific local demand. The municipal People’s Committee plans to finalise the criteria this quarter and establish a working model from 2010.

VNN/VNS