Hanoi’s lakes blighted by serious pollution

By Ngoc Thanh   May 11, 2016 | 12:43 am PT
Hanoi’s lakes, which were once beautiful spots for the city's residents to sit by and enjoy, are seriously deteriorating due to rising levels of pollution.
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Ngoc Khanh Lake on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street.

Local residents around Ngoc Khanh Lake have complained that the strong smell from the lake has disturbed their lives and is bad for their health.

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Ngoc Khanh Lake

Many have to cover their noses when they pass Pham Huy Thong Street near the lake. Food stores around the lake have closed or suffered losses due to the stench that is driving customers away.

Nguyen Manh Hung, deputy director of a sewage and drainage management project, said that green algae is the main culprit behind the polluted lake. Following several efforts by the city, pollution in Ngoc Khanh Lake has decreased by 70 percent, he said.

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West Lake

On West Lake, the stretch near Thanh Nien and Nguyen Dinh Thi is flooded with rubbish, especially the area near a block of bars, floating restaurants and yachts.

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Dead fish float on the surface of De Lu Lake in Hoang Mai District, where the water has turned a dark green.

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Van Quan Lake in Ha Dong District

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Van Chuong Lake, one of the most polluted lakes in Hanoi due to industrial and residential wastewater.

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Linh Quang Lake in Dong Da District.

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Kim Lien Lake.

In 2004, a project to clean up Kim Lien Lake and the infrastructure around it was approved with a budget of VND38 billion ($1.7 milliom), but the work has yet to be completed.

According to the "Hanoi Lakes Report 2015", the number of lakes in Ha Noi decreased from 122 to 112 between 2010 and 2015, with 17 filled in and seven new lakes added.

 
 
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