Exercise equipment purifies the water of Hanoi's lakes

Elderly people do exercise to stay fit and keep water clean for a lake in Ha Noi (Photo:Internet)

Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi residents have found a new way of exercising that makes them stay fit and keeps lake water clean.

Four years ago a group of young people from the Institute for Water and Environment (IWE) invented exercise equipment that also purified water, which won the creative prize in an environment contest held by the British Council.

It included a cycling machine attached to a water filtration system. When people use the machine, their movement pumps water from the lake into a filter tank, filled with aquatic plants and activated charcoal (charcoal treated with oxygen) which helps absorb pollutants. After being filtered, water is pumped back into the lake.

The pumping machine's capacity fluctuates from two to eight cubic metres of water per hour depending on the cyclist.

The machines have satisfied residents desires for exercise and a clean environment around them. This helps maintain the health of residents and the whole community, said Nguyen Kha Minh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Environmental Protection Fund.

A survey by the the Hanoi Environmental Protection Fund revealed that every day about 50 people use a machine for about 10 minutes per person, filtering 14 to 24 cubic metres of water daily.

Cycling fifteen to twenty minutes a day, Tran Thi Huong, 68, who lives on Dong Nhan street near Hai BaTrung lake, said that she can filter one cubic metre of water each time she uses the machine.

Le Van Lan, 66, living near Hai Ba lake said a lot of people around the area use the machines every day, especially in the morning and late afternoon. They even have to queue up to wait for their turn.

However, sometimes water can not be filtered because the pipe is filled with leaves which have fallen from trees, he said.

The machines are outdoors so they must be protected and preserved frequently, said Pham Van Khanh, Deputy Director of the municipal Environment and Natural Resources Department.

Next year, the Hanoi Environmental Protection Fund will work with local authorities to do research and install equipment in four additional lakes in the city, according to a representative of the fund.-VNA