The Current State Of Water Pollution In Vietnam

The rapid pace of industrialization and urbanization and population growth put increasing pressure on water resources in the territory.

Water pollution due to industrial production is very heavy. The level of water pollution in industrial parks, export processing zones and industrial clusters is very large. In Tham Luong industrial cluster, Ho Chi Minh City, the water source is contaminated by industrial wastewater with an estimated total wastewater volume of 500,000 m3/day from paper, washing powder, dyeing, and textile factories.

In Thai Nguyen city, industrial wastewater is discharged from establishments producing paper, iron and steel, non-ferrous metallurgy, coal mining; in the dry season, the total amount of wastewater in Thai Nguyen city accounts for about 15% of the Cau River's flow; Wastewater from paper production has pH from 8.4-9 and NH4 content is 4mg/1, high organic matter content, brown color and unpleasant odor.

Some villages of iron and steel, copper casting, aluminum, lead, paper, textile and dyeing in Bac Ninh show that there is a waste water volume of thousands of m3/day without treatment, polluting water sources and the environment in the area.

Water pollution in urban areas is most evident in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In these cities, domestic wastewater does not have a centralized treatment system but is directly discharged into the receiving source (river, lake, canal, ditch). On the other hand, there are still many production facilities that do not treat wastewater, most large hospitals and medical facilities do not have wastewater treatment systems; a large amount of uncollectible solid waste in the city, etc., are important sources of water pollution.

Regarding water pollution in rural areas and agricultural production areas, currently, Vietnam has nearly 76% of the population living in rural areas where infrastructure is still backward. 

According to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in agricultural production, due to the misuse of pesticides, water sources in rivers, lakes, canals and ditches are polluted, greatly affecting the water environment and people's health.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Fisheries, the total water surface area used for aquaculture by 2001 of the whole country was 751,999 ha. Due to the massive aquaculture, lack of planning, not following the technical process, it has caused many negative impacts on the water environment.

Along with the excessive and improper use of chemicals in aquaculture, the residual food settles on the bottom of ponds, lakes and river beds, making the water environment polluted with organic substances, causing growth of  some species of organisms cause diseases and some toxic algae appear; there have even been signs of red tide in some coastal areas of Vietnam.

It is easy to understand that the population explosion has become the cause of water pollution. When more and more people are on the earth, there are many consequences related to the needs of eating, living, traveling, construction, agricultural production and industry.

All activities in life are indispensable for the element of water. Therefore, people with a series of development activities have a great influence on the natural environment in general and the water environment in particular.

Currently, the mass media are increasingly referring to the problem of plastic waste in daily life. This problem has been and continues to be a very serious source of water pollution. Due to the lifestyle of people, the habit of consuming too much plastic.

Recognizing that plastic waste is a threat to all of humanity, in recent years, many people have become more aware of using plastic and reducing furniture. The trend of green living and environmental protection in 2022 as well as the preservation of the community's health is higher than ever.

In Vietnam, current statistics show that most hospitals and medical facilities across the country do not have satisfactory wastewater treatment systems.

With a very large number of patients being received at hospitals with medical examination and treatment measures and medical services. If these facilities do not have the correct method of disposing of medical instruments and equipment, it is a danger to the environment.

Floods, storms, snowmelts, droughts, etc., are factors that seriously affect water resources on earth. Surely all of us can feel this.

Along with these polluting agents, the death of plants and animals also greatly affects the water source in nature. Specifically: Ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, rainwater and even seawater are also affected.

It can be said that this is one of the 7 most important causes of water pollution.

The first cause of water pollution originates from agricultural production activities such as farming and animal husbandry. Accordingly, untreated leftovers, feces and urine of livestock directly discharged are the most noticeable agents.

Besides, in the process of agricultural production, the use of pesticides, herbicides, etc., in excess of the recommended dosage are also polluting contamination of surface water and groundwater due to chemical residues.

In addition, the improper storage and preservation of drugs, displayed everywhere in the house, also causes the source of domestic water to be contaminated. Or, the disposal of pesticide bottles after indiscriminate use on the banks of fields and canals is also a risk factor.

Wastewater and waste from industrial production activities are mostly discharged directly into ponds, lakes, rivers and streams without treatment. Therefore, this is also one of the most typical causes of water pollution.

In industrial wastewater, there are many anions that pollute the water environment such as Cl-, SO42-, PO43, Na+, K+ and countless highly toxic heavy metal compounds such as Hg, Pb, Cd, As, etc. Sb, Cr, F, etc., they will dissolve in water, causing the water to change its properties in a harmful direction.

Water pollution is caused by the industrial aspect as well due to the limited awareness and sense of responsibility for environmental protection of the investors, some agencies, organizations and the focusing on economic benefits while neglecting the protection of the surrounding environment, so the situation of contaminated water is natural.

Water pollution due to urbanization

Among the 7 causes of water pollution mentioned in the article, it is impossible not to mention the factor of urbanization. Urbanization is an inevitable process of social development. Any country on the path of development must go through and live with this.

Land is planned into apartments, high-rise buildings, trees are cut down to build houses, roads and overpasses. The rapid urbanization process has removed the face of nature and replaced it with bustle, a manifestation of modern life and developed economy.

Urbanization is necessary, but the consciousness of people living in urban areas is as civilized as what they created. Excessive consumption, indiscriminate littering and no awareness of the environment will gradually destroy people's lives.

The amount of industrial wastewater, domestic wastewater, and residual chemicals that are discharged into ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and the sea will change the living environment of aquatic organisms in the direction of worse.

Consequences of water pollution for aquatic organisms are a series of slow-growing fish and marine organisms. When the pollution level exceeds the allowable limit, they will not be able to adapt, leading to mass death, marine resources, as well as the depletion of aquatic ecosystems. If you eat contaminated fish, human health is also at risk.

Not only affects aquatic organisms, but one of the harmful effects of water pollution also affects the life of terrestrial flora.

Specifically, using contaminated water to irrigate crops and crops will make them stunted and slow to grow. If the level of water pollution is too great, it will also cause plants to be massed, and the land will become increasingly barren and easy to erode.

Using contaminated water for a long time will increase the risk of intestinal diseases, cholera, skin diseases, more dangerous, it will also make us poison, diseases such as cancer, birth defects in children.

The general consequence of water pollution is an increasing proportion of people suffering from acute and chronic diseases related to water pollution such as dermatitis, digestion, diarrhea and cancer risk. In some localities, cases of cancer and gynecological infections account for 40-50%, the cause is due to the use of contaminated water. According to the assessment of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on average each year, Vietnam has about 9,000 people die because of poor water and sanitation conditions; More than 100,000 new cancer cases are discovered, one of the main causes being the use of polluted water. In addition, water pollution is causing great losses to the production, business, agriculture and aquaculture industries.

Scientific studies also show that, when using arsenic-contaminated water for drinking, people can get cancer, in which the most common is skin cancer. In addition, arsenic also poisons the circulatory system when drinking water with arsenic content of 0.1mg/l. Therefore, it is necessary to treat arsenic-contaminated water before using it for living and drinking.

People who have been exposed to lead for a long time may have kidney disease, nerve disease, infection with ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite, causing cyanosis, anemia, and possibly cancer. Sodium (Na) infection causes high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease; sulfur contamination causes diseases of the gastrointestinal tract; Potassium, cadmium infection causes degenerative spine disease, back pain. 

Organic compounds, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, growth stimulants, food preservatives, phosphorus, etc., cause poisoning, hepatitis, vomiting.

Bacteria and parasites of all kinds are the cause of gastrointestinal diseases, worm infections, and flukes. Heavy metals of all kinds: titanium, iron, lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, zinc cause neuralgia, kidney, excretory system, bone inflammation, anemia.

Facing the increasingly serious problem of water pollution, it is required to have specific and long-term policies and plans and the most important thing is to have the cooperation of the whole community. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to promote propaganda to the people about the impact of water pollution on the environment as well as on each person's health. Along with that, there should also be stricter regulations on the handling of water pollution. waste and waste from manufacturing enterprises.

This can be considered as a decisive factor for the improvement and protection of water resources in nature. Most people think that the lack of awareness about the environment has a very small impact on the environment.

Therefore, educating each person's sense of responsibility and responsibility for future generations is a key and necessary issue. How do people change that mindset, change that habit, all problems related to the environment can be solved. It is necessary to strengthen propaganda and education to raise people's awareness in protecting the water environment from simple actions such as throwing garbage in the right places, condemning indiscriminate littering.

Methods and ways of doing things must be really serious, fair and effective. Avoid the phenomenon of covering up, instigating wrong actions. Therefore, the legal system is the core element of all problems.

To do this, it is necessary to combine three systems: the State, enterprises and people. The state is the investor, the enterprise is the construction unit and the people are the users.

+ Strengthen inspection and supervision of waste discharge activities in industrial parks to promptly detect and handle violations.

+ Factories and enterprises need to build wastewater treatment tanks instead of discharging directly to the outside environment, which is also an effective way to handle water pollution.

+ The State needs to step up investment in building more standard waste water and waste treatment systems. Actively invest in research to find more effective remedies for water pollution.

+ Encourage rural people to apply solutions to overcome water pollution by building septic tanks, improved biogas tunnels to treat wastewater, avoiding direct discharge of manure and urine from livestock into the environment. 

+ Improve agricultural production by using natural methods to create nutrients for the soil, combined with the use of good pest-resistant crops to limit the use of harmful chemicals.

Measures to overcome water pollution by being able to use clean energy sources to replace and apply in industrial production. For example, solar energy, wind energy, etc. This is a safe solution that can limit the sources of hazardous waste and wastewater.

The things that nature gives back to people are not random, but the inevitable consequences of exploitation and over-consumption without knowing how to build. The sense of responsibility to protect the environment in general and the protection of water sources in particular is the only and urgent thing for people to improve their quality of life.