Finding the cause of the Red River

About 5 years ago, people living on the banks of the Red River in Lao Cai City have to live together with the pollution of the legendary river. The pink color of the river is gradually being 'transformed', pale. Aquatic resources are destroyed, health is threatened, many people are confused .

Destroy the source of fishing

Following the instructions of the local people, we found upstream of the Red River, the section from China's Ha Khau border gate to Vietnam. At this time, the water of the Red River in the blue is extraordinary. Under that blue dreaming dreamlike thing was filled with waste. The flowing river no longer carries the fertile alluvial particles that are buckling to transport waste from the other side of the border.

Mr. Thanh sadly collected the net to bring it to shore

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thanh, in Group 2, Coc Le Ward lived in the Red River for several decades. Previously, every day, he took a boat out to the middle of the stream, tossed a few nets, he could earn dozens of kilograms of fish of all kinds, from barramundi, on fishes, etc., to Coc Leu market to sell and earn enough money to support his wife , baby. But that is the story of the last decade.

Now he still rides his boat to the Red River to go fishing. But instead of the heavy fishing nets, there are dozens of piles (according to the people it is the waste of some cassava factory from the other side of the border). Since this type of waste appears, the amount of fish and shrimp has decreased. Up to now, even throwing dozens of nets has not been given any fish. Losing the source of life, the people living by fishing and fishing have quit their jobs. People go ashore to work as masons, people rent boats to transport goods . every day just hope to earn enough money to cover the lives of thousands of difficulties.

Strange smell from 5 years ago?

Not only destroying the aquatic resources on the legendary Red River, this waste is also gradually "purging" the health of the people. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Anh, 43 years old (Group 3, Coc Leu Ward) said: 'This kind of waste is very slimy and has an unpleasant smell. Severe smells when smelling are chest tightness, difficulty breathing.

In the dry season, river water recedes leaving the waste layer depositing on both sides of the bank, they gather and form scum and continue to stink. Places with stagnant puddles are black water. This strange odor phenomenon has existed more than 5 years ago. In previous years the smell was still light, but this year this situation became very bad, making people unbearable.

The scum waste is red

From the river junction

We went along the Red River from the bottom of Bac Ha, Van Ban in Lao Cai province and back up the upper section of the Red River adjacent to the Kunming district - China. But it only found that the smell of impurity appeared at the confluence of the river, the section from Nam Thi river to Red river. On the contrary, it is still a narrow river, the flow is floating. Some people believe that waste appears from the upper stream of Nam Thi stream.

Water resources are exhausted, waste is left

Under the guidance of the local people, we reverse the Nam Thi River about 20km, but it is difficult to detect the factories discharging waste from any location because it is surrounded by rows of tarpaulins. thousand.

Previously, there was no such phenomenon. The stench rises because the river water is exhausted, the organic matter decomposes in the mud on the edge of the river rises, not stinking from the river water. Add to that the smell of rubbish because people live in Coc Leu ward area and waste from construction site next to Coc Leu bridge. It is not yet confirmed that due to water pollution that fish are destroyed, it is possible that the depleted waters of fish species must move to deeper areas to live.
Ms. Nong Bich Thuy (Head of Department, Environment Department of Lao Cai province)

The people living on the Nam Thi coast say that this river flows through here and there for many years, there is no change, and there is no stench. Thus, it is possible to delineate the starting point of the pollution is the area of ​​the Red and Nam Thi river junction. And to make and confirm the 'culprit' causing the pollution of this river section is for the environmental inspection industry.

River water changes color strangely

Talking with us in the morning of February 21, Mr. Nguyen Manh Ho, director of Lao Cai Meteorological and Hydrological Center, said: I have just been with my brothers on the Red River to survey each area. Many rivers and streams run out of boats. The water flow of the Red River flowing through the territory of Lao Cai province is now lower than that of every year, but the water level is quite high because of the river bed accreting, the two sides of the river are landslide, the alluvial flow is much accreted. The human impact factor is not small, such as leveling, sand suction, changing the flow and embankment, causing the river to be narrowed and polluted.

As for the Red River flowing through Coc Le ward, the water is no longer pink like every year, Mr. Ho asserted: We have not seen any strange color this year. This strange phenomenon changes abnormally when the water is green, sometimes black and carries the stench and ardent smell.

At present, the pH of the Red River flowing through Coc Le ward is measured at the highest level of 7.3 by Lao Cai Meteorological and Hydrography Center, while the permitted level is only from 3 to 4. Thus, The water source is polluted. Talking about the cause of this unusual phenomenon, Mr. Ho commented: Red river water flows through Coc Le ward is an accumulation of waste from production plants, domestic waste of people for a long time. but not by yourself. At the foot of Coc Leu bridge there is a badly built bridge, maybe the amount of iron and steel soaked in water for a long time is rusty and accumulates, creating yellow water scum and settling on the edge of the river bank.

According to Mr. Ho, on the Red River side upstream there are many Chinese cassava factories built by the river. However, to confirm that the perpetrator is 'killing' this legendary river, it is difficult to have a basis, but it is also possible that these processing zones are the agents that cause the color change and create the stench. of the Red River.

Mr. Thanh pointed to the Coc Leu bridge, the most polluted place

River water is dark green

Water flow decreased most in the year

On February 22, Reporter KH & ĐS will join the inspection team of Lao Cai Department of Natural Resources and Environment to take a sample of Red River water in the "color change, stench" to test. The inspection team will also find out the cause of the discoloration mentioned. Planning and Investment will continue to reflect this information.