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People in Hanoi have raised the alarm about pollution in the West Lake after hundreds of kilograms of dead fish washed up in the past couple of days.
Locals said a large number of fish, many of them tench and tilapia of around four kilos each, have bellied up along the shore of the lake, which is the largest in Hanoi and also a popular recreation area.
One environment worker assigned to clean up the lake said around 500 kilograms of dead fish were collected on Saturday alone, and they have not finished yet.
A 60-year-old man who has been living around the lake for a long time said the scale of fish deaths is uncommon.
“Fish die every year when it’s too hot or too cold, but usually it's just a tenth of this,” he told VTCNews.
Locals believe that pollution is spreading and starting to kill bigger fish.
“Someone might have dumped a large amount of trash or chemicals into the lake,” one local said.
Hanoi authorities have not made a statement on the cause yet.
Despite the heavy stink from the rotting fish, some people are still using nets and baskets to collect them. They said they are going to feed the fish to dogs and pigs, or use them as fertilizer.
The Environment and Community Research Center in Hanoi last year studied 30 out of 112 lakes in the city and found that 25 of them were polluted due to uncontrolled waste and sewage discharged by both families and businesses.
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