Polluted channel bubbles with toxic foam

Ha Nam Province irrigation channel A48 in has been bubbled with thick, white foam for 10 years and the situation is worsening.

Ha Nam Province irrigation channel A48 in has been bubbled with thick, white foam for 10 years and the situation is worsening.

  

Irrigation channel A48 bubbles with thick, white foam

The agriculture water in Duy Tien District is from Nhue and Chau Giang rivers which are severely polluted. As a result, when the water is pumped into Channel A48, massive amounts of white foam is created and the foul smell tortures the people living nearby. Many people have to wear masks inside their homes.

The locals have complained about the pollution many times but nothing has been done. There are 30 households living near the pumping station and it has been reported that even their fish were affected.

  

The foul smell tortures the people living nearby

Tran Van Thanh, a local living near Chu Luong Pumping Station, said, "White foam appears several times a year. In summer, the wind blows the foam onto the roads and into my fish pond and home."

Another local Tran Quang Chanh said the pollution became worse when the water level in Nhue River was low. The smell was so unbearable that many families had to wear masks while sleeping.

  

The whole channel covered with white foam in Ha Nam Province

According to Yen Bac Commune People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Xuan Tinh, they had no alternative but to use water from Nhue and Chau Giang rivers as agriculture companies and cooperatives were in need of water for their crops at the moment. Duy Tien District People's Committee said they filed complaints multiple times but hadn't received any directives.

Test results from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment show that the ammonia level in Chau Giang River is 70.3 times higher than the permitted level. Water with high ammonia levels can cause cancer and other deadly diseases. Organic pollution is also affecting the water quality.