Pollution of water makes people lose their livelihood

A recent survey showed that water pollution caused most households who rely on aquatic resources from rivers to no longer live.

The Center for People and Nature (PanNature) in the afternoon announced the survey results on river impacts on the lives of people in river basins in many regions across the country. PanNature 's report is done by studying press materials written on rivers of 60 websites, newspapers from 2006 to 2010 and directly interviewing 1,300 households.

Three areas selected for the survey included a number of wards in Phu Ly town (Ha Nam) with Chau Giang river area; Ho Ho (Ha Tinh) and Dai Loc (Quang Nam) hydroelectric dams along Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers. According to the survey results, 87% of households believe that river water has become polluted, the phenomenon of landslide is getting more serious. Typically, Can Tho and Ha Tinh areas where landslides often occur cause people to lose their homes. The main reason, according to survey results, is due to industrial development, construction of hydropower dams, deforestation leading to natural disasters and floods.

Dead fish in Tra Khuc river.Artwork: Tri Tin.

River recession makes 44% of households living along the river stress; 25% suffer from diseases, loss of productive land and affect production, seeking livelihoods.

According to Ms. Tran Thanh Thuy, of PanNature , most of the households relying on aquatic resources from rivers have no longer been livelihoods. But when the households reflected on the authorities, they rarely received feedback. " Only 30% of the residents' feedback is reflected from the local government, which is a loss of confidence in the community," Thuy said.

According to Dr. Ngo Dinh Tuan, Water Resources University , pollution of rivers and streams is caused by waste from factories, hospitals and trade villages that directly discharge water to the river without treatment. In addition, the exploitation of irrigation by dams, building many terraced fields on the river system, exploiting what causes river erosion . are all causes of river decline.