The water quality in the Thi Vai River in Dong Nai province near Ho ChiMinh City has improved, allowing fishermen to catch and farm fish andother species in it.
The river, which flows downstream of theDong Nai River, was considered dead just six years ago because ofpollution caused by untreated wastewater discharged by factories.
TranVan Tien, a fisherman in Long Thanh district's Phuoc Thai commune, saidthe water used to be black because of the waste, which also caused thedeath of fish, shrimp, and other species.
After Taiwanese companyVedan was found in 2008 to have been directly discharging untreatedwaste into the Thi Vai for years, local authorities improved managementof wastewater and the river has improved as a result, he said.
"Fishermen now can catch more fish."
Phuoc Thai Commune now has 300 households that fish in the river andraise fish and other creatures with water from the river, according tothe commune Famers Association.
Thousands of households that hadceased farming of shrimp and other aquatic species along the Thi Vai inDong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces and HCM City have now resumed.
Inrecent years Dong Nai authorities have taken many measures to improvetreatment of wastewater at industrial parks and residential areas beforeit is released into the river.
Tests in 2013 and earlier thisyear showed that the river's water quality is good enough for aquaticspecies to live in it. But, admittedly, it is yet to meet certaincriteria.
Nguyen Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Director of the Dong Naiprovincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said thatoccasionally biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand(COD) exceed permitted levels, but not often.
Many industrial parks are also located along the Dong Nai River.
Wastefrom Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Park, the country's first, in Bien Hoa cityis a major source of pollution since most companies in the park lackwastewater treatment facilities.
Dong Nai authorities plan toconvert the 330ha park into a modern urban –commercial - services zoneby 2020, and the factories are set to move out of there.
Theyhave thrown the book at companies violating environmental regulationsand are setting up large wastewater treatment plants in industrialparks.
They have also set up many automatic observation stationson the Dong Nai and Thi Vai including at 18 industrial parks that havelarge, efficient waste treatment plants and 19 firms located elsewherethat generate large quantities of wastewater.
Thuong said the province would soon set up six more such stations on the two rivers.
Inthe province, around 500,000cu.m of wastewater is produced every day byindustries and homes, according to the Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment.-VNA
The river, which flows downstream of theDong Nai River, was considered dead just six years ago because ofpollution caused by untreated wastewater discharged by factories.
TranVan Tien, a fisherman in Long Thanh district's Phuoc Thai commune, saidthe water used to be black because of the waste, which also caused thedeath of fish, shrimp, and other species.
After Taiwanese companyVedan was found in 2008 to have been directly discharging untreatedwaste into the Thi Vai for years, local authorities improved managementof wastewater and the river has improved as a result, he said.
"Fishermen now can catch more fish."
Phuoc Thai Commune now has 300 households that fish in the river andraise fish and other creatures with water from the river, according tothe commune Famers Association.
Thousands of households that hadceased farming of shrimp and other aquatic species along the Thi Vai inDong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces and HCM City have now resumed.
Inrecent years Dong Nai authorities have taken many measures to improvetreatment of wastewater at industrial parks and residential areas beforeit is released into the river.
Tests in 2013 and earlier thisyear showed that the river's water quality is good enough for aquaticspecies to live in it. But, admittedly, it is yet to meet certaincriteria.
Nguyen Ngoc Thuong, Deputy Director of the Dong Naiprovincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said thatoccasionally biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand(COD) exceed permitted levels, but not often.
Many industrial parks are also located along the Dong Nai River.
Wastefrom Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Park, the country's first, in Bien Hoa cityis a major source of pollution since most companies in the park lackwastewater treatment facilities.
Dong Nai authorities plan toconvert the 330ha park into a modern urban –commercial - services zoneby 2020, and the factories are set to move out of there.
Theyhave thrown the book at companies violating environmental regulationsand are setting up large wastewater treatment plants in industrialparks.
They have also set up many automatic observation stationson the Dong Nai and Thi Vai including at 18 industrial parks that havelarge, efficient waste treatment plants and 19 firms located elsewherethat generate large quantities of wastewater.
Thuong said the province would soon set up six more such stations on the two rivers.
Inthe province, around 500,000cu.m of wastewater is produced every day byindustries and homes, according to the Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment.-VNA
