More fish die in Ho Chi Minh City canal, toxic gases
suspected
Dead fish and litter in
the Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal fill a garbage bin on August 2, 2016.
Toxic gases and floating particles of unknown origin were suspected to
have caused Tuesday’s fish deaths along a major canal in Ho Chi Minh City, as
experts urge the completion of a wastewater treatment plant in the city aimed
at improving water sanitation.
Dead fish
were again found yesterday at intervals along a section of the Nhieu Loc-Thi
Nghe Canal that runs through Phu Nhuan District.
With a total
length of 8.7 kilometers, the canal snakes its way through five districts of
Ho Chi Minh City, having received a facelift in 2012 as part of a series of
actions taken by authorities to tackle worsening pollution in the waterway.
The water in
the canal in Phu Nhuan was visibly murky, and thick bubbles could be seen at
the surface along with toxic gases and sludge from the canal bed.
Plastic
bags, water cartons, and plastic bottles were also seen floating on the
canal’s surface despite constant collection efforts by sanitation workers.
Results of
water quality monitoring revealed evidence of poor water quality, increased
turbidity, and a decline in dissolved oxygen levels, according to Tran Dinh
Vinh, manager at the Branch for Quality Control and Protection of Fishery
Resources under the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development.
Vinh said
the accumulation of sludge and unprocessed litter from sewage systems at the
canal bed was to blame for the observed surfacing of gas and mud.
Dr. Tran Huu
Loc from Nong Lam (Agriculture-Forestry) University in the city said toxic
gases like ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulfide that had been spread along
with the gas movement were among the causes of the fish deaths.
Loc added
the problem could be dealt with by dredging the bed of the canal to get rid
of the accumulated sludge.
Tons of fish
were found dead in
the same canal in May following a downpour that washed toxic gases into the
canal.
In response
to recent fish deaths in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal, Vice Chairman of Ho
Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem urged the municipal Department
of Transport to speed up the completion of a wastewater treatment plant in
the city.
Liem added
that the committee had also tasked the municipal inland waterways authority
to carry out the dredging of the canal bed.
Sanitation workers collect dead fish in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal
in Ho Chi Minh City on August 2, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Dead fish and litter in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal are seen being
collected in a net on August 2, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre
Litter and smudge thickened a part of the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal in
Ho Chi Minh City on August 2, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre
TUOI TRE NEWS
|
Thứ Tư, 3 tháng 8, 2016
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