Pedal-power purifies polluted Saigon canal

By Bui Hong Nhung   July 21, 2016 | 02:46 am PT
Local residents are jumping on cycling machines to pump clean water back into stinking waterway.

Saigon has installed a new water purification system on the banks of the Nhieu Loc Canal, which is well-known for its high levels of pollution.

The system involves four cycling machines and two filtration tanks. Each time people cycle, they generate electricity to suck water from the canal into the tanks where the water is purified and pumped back into the canal.

Tran Nguyen Thoa, a fifth-grade student, said he enjoys cycling every morning. Though the amount of clean water created by the system is very small compared to the volume of the 10-kilometer canal, he believes he is playing his part in protecting the environment.

The city’s Urban Environment Company said that the system was sponsored by Bridgestone Tire Sales Company, and they are looking for contributions from other sponsors to expand the system.

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Four cycling machines and two filter tanks to purify water from the canal. Photo from the government news portal.

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People can be found cycling every day.  Photo from the government news portal.

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Even young children enjoy a ride.  Photo from the government news portal.

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