A volume of untreated waste water discharged from some industrial workshops and sewage from residential quarters in Tây Ninh City and Châu Thành District were confirmed as the main cause of Vàm Cỏ Đông River’s water pollution.–Photo baotayninh.vn

HCM City – A volume of untreated waste water discharged from some industrial workshops and sewage from residential quarters in Tây Ninh City and Châu Thành District were confirmed as the main cause of Vàm Cỏ Đông River’s water pollution, a government official said.

The worst of the pollution in the section of Vàm Cỏ Đông crossing Thành Long Commune, Châu Thành District happened on May 26, according to Ngô Đức Hà, director of Tây Ninh southern province’s Environmental Protection Department.

After being alerted, the department staff took waste water samples from the suspected workshops and from the local sewer system for further examination.        

The results showed a reduced level of dissolved oxygen in the water. Dissolved oxygen is an important parameter in the assessment of water quality due to its influence on the organisms living in a body of water. In the water collected, dissolved oxygen levels were 9.3 times lower than the normal level.   

At 11am on May 26, many local residents discovered the water in the Vàm Cỏ Đông River’s section surrounding Bến Sỏi Bridge, Thành Long Commune had turned black and gave off a noxious odour.

An inspection team jointly selected from Tây Ninh Province’s environmental protection department, environmental crime-prevention police office and Châu Thành District’s environment office came to the area to analyse the water quality, also visiting the suspected workshops and residential areas to examine their waste water systems.

A garment workshop, belonging to Hight Vina Apparel Ltd.Co located at Long Thành Nam Commune, Hòa Thành District had no waste treatment system and discharged 70cu.m of waste water to Vàm Cỏ Đông River on a daily basis, reported the inspection team. 

The inspectors examined five individual rice noodle and vermicelli processing workshops in Châu Thành District, discovering waste water parameters exceeded standard limits by between 1.7 and 20 times.    

Nineteen local workshops discharged a volume of 50-60 cu.m of waste water into the river every day while none of those investigated had waste treatment facilities.

Residential areas of Châu Thành Township discharged about 500cu.m of waste water to Kiểu sewer system every day, the volume of untreated water then ran out to the Vàm Cỏ Đông River.    

The region has suffered heavy rains for the last two weeks, causing rubbish and waste from the sewer to flood into the river.

While waiting for solutions, local residents must put up with the close proximity of the polluted water. -- VNS