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| Ongoing construction work in Nam Đông District is blamed for soil flowing into the upper part of the river. — VNS Photo Điền Quang |
Viet Nam News
THỪA THIÊN - HUẾ — The high volume of soil from road construction works in the upper part of the Hương River in this central province has turned the colour of the water to red.
This has left locals worried about the health of their beloved river.
Tests by the local department of environment protection showed content of suspended solid substance in the river water had increased 10 times, while its turbidity was 200 times higher compared with normal conditions.
“This is caused by the soil from the construction of roads in the province’s mountainous Nam Đông District,” department director Nguyễn Việt Hùng said. Many upper streams supply water to the river and water from the heavy rains had flowed into the river carrying the soil with it
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| View of the ’red’ river section in the city. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Văn Sum |
The construction of a highway connecting the province and neighbouring Đà Nẵng City is ongoing and the district bears part of the highway. Another project to build a road linking the district’s municipal town to the highway is also underway.
Digging into the local mountains and hills has unearthed a huge quantity of broken soil, which is easily swept by the strong current of the rainwater.
Although Huế City’s water supply company said they are not affected thanks to a hi-tech filtering system, locals expressed their concern over the turbid condition of the famed clear river. Turbidity is so strong that water in its tributaries and in the vast Tam Giang Lagoon and the ocean has turned red as well.
The river runs across the city and gives the city a unique beauty thanks to its clear water and charm. — VNS
