Aquatic rafts aim to clean river Ha Noi authorities install aquatic rafts, made from pontoons and wood planks, with aquatic plants on To Lich River in an attempt to revive one of the most polluted rivers in the country - Mobiphone Photo HA NOI (VNS) - Ha Noi authorities have installed aquatic rafts on To Lich River to help revive one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Ha Noi Water Drainage has placed 38 clusters of aquatic rafts on a trial basis in a 6km-section of the river running from Hoang Quoc Viet street in Cau Giay District to Nga Tu So street in Dong Da District. The rafts are made from pontoons and wood planks, with each cluster being 150-200m from each other. Each raft is anchored with ropes to stop them from floating down river during storms or floods. Also, aquatic plants are planted on the rafts. Deputy Director of the company, Hoang The Hung, said aquatic plants play a role in cleaning polluted water, due to their roots and bodies that filter water, converting polluted compounds into biomass and releasing oxygen into the water. These aquatic rafts are low cost solutions that have life spans of up to four years, he said. They will then be repaired or replaced by new rafts, he added. The rafts were earlier installed to clean 15 lakes in the city, including Ngoc Khanh lake, Giang Vo lake and Truc Bach lake. Nguyen Thi Huong, a resident living in Lang Street in Dong Da District, said the water in the river emits a strong odor as a result of waste discharged from surrounding residents. The installation of the aquatic rafts are expected to clean the environment, creating better conditions for local residents to travel along the river's banks, particularly for those who come to exercise in the morning and afternoon, she said. Luong Van Hoc, a resident in Nguyen Dinh Hoan Street in Cau Giay District, said it is necessary to install aquatic rafts to reduce environmental pollution in the river, and this model should be expanded to help clean the water while making the river more beautiful. To Lich River is considered by ecologists to be a ‘dead' river because it has been severely polluted by the dumping of thousands of cubic metres of sewage water into it each day. - VNS