KIÊN GIANG — Dương Đông, the largest river that supplies water for Phú Quốc Island in southern Kiên Giang Province, is polluted with garbage and waste water.

The river water has turned black because of the oil scum being discharged from boats; garbage such as plastic bags, used bottles, old clothes and dead animals have covered the water surface from Hùng Vương Bridge to Dinh Cậu Estuary.

Nguyễn Minh Triết, deputy head of Phú Quốc Province’s Public Work Management Board, told Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper that the workers collected more than three tonnes of garbage from less than one kilometre length of the river.

Triết said a major concern was that the river, which stretched up to some 21.5km , was the main source of water for daily use and production activities for the residents and tourists on the island.

Currently, some 322 establishments are operating along the river. Many are engaged in the fish sauce production business. However, these businesses have no sewage treatment system.

Triết said the waste water was being treated only through the sedimentation tank, and then discharged directly into the river along canals.

The deterioration of the water quality has affected the beauty of the river and disrupted the living conditions of the local people along the river.

Phạm Văn Nghiệp, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the river was not polluted from the headwaters, but the discharge of waste water and garbage from households on both sides of the river had inflicted the damage.

The recent land price hike, which led to the establishment of illegal residential areas, also contributed to the pollution of the river, he said. — VNS