Many people around two lakes in Hanoi have been lining up for their turn to use a type of exercise machine that helps purify polluted lake water.
Exercise machine
A pilot project for the machines was started at Ngoc Khanh and Thanh Nhan lakes in early November.
The product won the E-idea contest of 2011, held by the British Council. The inventor, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, who graduated from the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences’ Faculty of Environment in 2007, and currently works at the Institute of Irrigation and Environment, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Vietnam Institute of Irrigation Science.
Health for the body and city
Users of the machines see it as killing two birds with one stone. They can get their daily exercise and help clean up a contaminated lake at the same time. The machine, by the side of Ngoc Khanh Lake has been drawing a lot of attention.
One man, named Tuan, from the ward of Ngoc Khanh Ward, said, “This is a great idea that has two benefits. It improves people’s health and protects the environment. Also, since it's free, it attracts many people, raising their awareness about the importance of keeping our environment clean."
Water purification
A survey released in 2010 by the Centre for Environment and Community Research showed that 95% out of a total of 120 ponds, lakes and dams in Hanoi were seriously contaminated. As many as 71% of the lakes were polluted above the "acceptable levels".
The situation is expected to improve as these exercise machines become more widely used in Hanoi.