Vietnamese Cancer Villages caused by severe water pollution

[Wholegrain]

Water pollution causes cancer villages: MONRE - News VietNamNet

Water pollution causes cancer villages: MONRE
Last update: 10:20 | 26/04/2014

VietNamNet Bridge – Officials have admitted that water pollution in Vietnam has gotten out of its control, creating serious repercussions for both individuals and communities.

Polluted water is the culprit

Nicotex Thanh Thai Company in Thanh Hoa Province can be cited as a typical example of the serious impact of polluted water on humans’ lives.

It was recently revealed that the company has been illegally burying hundreds of tons of chemicals underground for the last several years. About 1,000 people residing nearby, especially those living close to Roc Niu-Bai Tho have been diagnosed with various diseases, such as cancer, neurological disorders, infertility and birth defects. Many of the diseases are fatal.

At the time when the water source in one hamlet of the Thanh Chuong District of Nghe An Province was discovered to be contaminated with arsenic, tens of people in the locality had already been stricken with various cancers.

Nguyen Ngoc Ly, Director of the Environment and Community Research Center, said 40-50 percent of female patients with vaginal diseases had been found to have been using polluted water.

It is estimated that 9,000 Vietnamese die every year because of unsafe water and unhygienic conditions. And, according to Ly, 200,000 new cancer cases every year are believed to have originated from the use of polluted water.

Meanwhile, a report of the MONRE’s Water Resource Programming and Survey Center disclosed that there are 37 cancer “hotspots” all over the country, created by the war’s toxic substances, industrial waste or polluted running water.

According Tran Viet Hung, Deputy Director General of the Environment Directorate, an arm of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE), Vietnam has a profusion water resources, with more than 2,300 river and streams longer than 10 kilometers, and thousands of lakes and ponds.

However, the misuse of natural resources has seriously damaged many of these water sources.

In big cities, water sources have been polluted by industrial factories and workshops which don’t have waste treatment systems. In rural areas, untreated and improperly disposed waste has been absorbed into the earth, contaminating underground aquifers.

More laws, regulations needed?

Dr Pham Van Loi from the Environment General Directorate has suggested building up a law on protecting water resources, though Vietnam already has the 2005 Environment Protection Law and the 2012 amended Water Resources Law.

Loi said that the 2012 water resources law does not contain detailed provisions on controlling water pollution.

Agreeing with Loi, Ly said that it would be better to have a more specific law on protecting water resources due to the complicated matters in the field.

However, an analyst said more laws and legal documents would not help settle the problem, if people don’t have the awareness of the importance of water resource protection, and if polluters are not severely punished for their violations.

He said people now don’t think laws can protect the environment and they would rather apply the “law of the jungle” to deal with polluters than wait for more laws to come out.

GTVT

 

[Wholegrain]

French man swims Mekong to highlight pollution | Society | Thanh Nien Daily

French man swims Mekong to highlight pollution
Friday, April 25, 2014 12:17

1 / 22

Rémi Camus, swimming down the Mekong on his "riverboard."

A French man completed his swim down the Mekong River in Vietnam this month, after a 4,400 kilometer aquatic journey that began on the China-Tibet border.

Rémi Camus expressed concern to Thanh Nien over the many people he encountered who seemed to drink from a river they dumped waste into every day. He was also greatly dismayed by rampant dams construction in China that will leave downstream countries like Vietnam parched.

“The Mekong River is really dirty,” he said during an interview in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, where he took a break before a 79km swim toward the East Sea, internationally known as the South China Sea.

While people in Laos and Cambodia throw things into the river, factories are Vietnam’s major problem.
“You have a lot of factories along the Mekong River and I don’t know if all of them respect the environment.”

He said there are no factories along the river in China as the banks are too steep to build on and almost nothing in Laos or Cambodia.

Vietnamese environmental authorities in 2012 reported that the Tien River, one of two tributaries of the Mekong River in Vietnam, has been severely contaminated, with pollutants like ammonium compounds and mercury exceeding normal levels by up to 1,000 times.

Camus said he saw people drink from the river in all of the countries he traveled through, but while the water was not that bad in China, it grew increasingly terrible downstream.

He said he asked people to stop doing so, though he could offer them no alternative.

People in some Lao villages drink from the river as there’s no running water in their area; many of them cannot afford health care or treatment.

He said he drank from the river too, but he only spent six months doing so and plans on submitting to an examination when he returns to France.

His feet swelled while in Laos, and got worse in Cambodia and Vietnam--so much so, he couldn't wear shoes.

Camus suspects his condition may have been caused by poor water quality, as he was totally fine during the two months he spent on the upstream portion.

Other problems with the river include damming and overfishing in China, and damming and dredging in Laos, which reduces currents.

While in China, he encountered two dams that were under construction and another that was due to finish in a year.

More were still in the works.

“They'll do it, without even asking if that will affect you or not,” he said.

At these portions, Camus hired a vehicle to carry him and his riverboard to the other side.

“I think the Mekong River is a big competition between China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar. Big competition because they want to get everything from the Mekong River without sharing.”

He said huge fishing nets criss-crossed the Chinese stretch of the river; he was even caught up in one.
He blamed the governments for their short-sighted policies.

“When you die, the river’s gonna be here, and a thousand years on, the river will still be here.

“We have to respect our children, we’re gonna give them something good for them, so they will be the same, otherwise we'll suck up all the energy of the earth.”

Camus recalled the several hundred kilometers through Vietnam as the toughest part of his swim due to high tides.

“I didn't expect that, but the tides were going up and down 250 kilometers from the [East Sea], which is quite a long way… It was a nightmare.”

He said the tides only occurred from Phnom Penh, south and he had to check several websites to make sure he only swam during low tide – sometimes from noon to six at night, sometimes from the middle of the night to six in the morning.

Camus started his river journey last October with help from around 15 French donors.

The 29-year-old did not go to college. After finishing high school, he got a hospitality training certificate and started traveling.

He had visited Laos, Cambodia and Thailand before, so he chose the Mekong River for his expedition and spent a year and four months preparing for it.

Four friends helped him build his riverboard, outfitting it with sturdy bumpers and solar panels to charge his laptop and camera.

He packed all necessities in waterproof and vacuum bags.

Camus says he swam during the day and slept on a hammock strung between trees along the banks at night.

He skipped 60 kilometers of upstream waters in Tibet after he had problems gaining entrance permits and launched his journey on the border between Tibet and mainstream China.

He was stopped by Vientiane authorities in January over accusations that his travel plans violated the law. He was let go after a month-long investigation.

The Laos authorities told him to stick to the left side of the river as he only had a visa from Laos and not Thailand (which is on the right of the river).

Camius he said he had to ignore that and swim along the currents that were fastest. “If it’s fast on the left I swim in the left, if it’s fast in the middle I stay in the middle.”

He said at many places in China and Thailand where he didn't have a visa, he was not bothered by the authorities as he slept on the river bank in remote areas where there were no officials around.

Camus said he expected to gain some money from the river expedition to build a clean water source for river residents.

At the very least, he says he's made many more people aware of the situation.

Khai Don
Thanh Nien News

 

[Wholegrain]

Le Vietnam nécessite un cadre juridique sur le contrôle de la pollution de l’eau -- Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus)

Le Vietnam nécessite un cadre juridique sur le contrôle de la pollution de l’eau
18/04/2014 | 14:44:28

Le Vietnam devrait élaborer un cadre juridique efficace sur le contrôle de la pollution de l’eau. Une recommandation proposée lors d’un colloque international organisé jeudi à Hanoi par l’Union des Associations des Sciences et des Technologies du Vietnam (VUSTA) et le Centre de recherche sur l’environnement et la communauté (CECR).

Cette manifestation a réuni une centaine de spécialistes, scientifiques et sociologues venus des ministères américain et thailandais de l’Environnement et d'ONG.

M. Tran Viet Hung, vice-président de la VUSTA, a déclaré le Vietnam était le foyer d’environ 2.360 rivières et ruisseaux d'une longueur supérieure à 10 km, ainsi que de milliers de lacs, qui sont la source de vie de millions de personnes, mais aussi de la faune et de la flore.

Cependant, les ressources en eau sont dégradées par la surexploitation et la pollution, imputable à une déficience dans la gestion et la protection de l'environnement. Et d'ajouter que les règles actuelles sur la gestion et la protection de l'environnement ne sont pas suffisamment strictes pour empêcher des actions qui contaminent l'eau.

La directrice du CECR, Mme Nguyen Ngoc Ly, a informé que la pollution la plus grave pouvait être observée à proximité des zones industrielles, des villages de métiers et des zones urbaines, avant d’affirmer que le contrôle de la pollution de l'eau était complexe et nécessitait un cadre juridique clair et efficace.

Elle a suggéré qu'il faille se concentrer dans la lutte contre la pollution dans les petits cours d'eau en attendant l'élaboration d'une loi générale sur le contrôle de la pollution de l'eau.

Actuellement, au Vietnam, environ 9.000 personnes meurent chaque année en raison des maladies causées par l'eau polluée et les mauvaises conditions d'hygiène. Et près de 200.000 nouveaux cas de cancer sont dépistés chaque année, causés principalement par l'eau. -VNA

 

[Wholegrain]

Social News Headlines 18/4 - News VietNamNet

Social News Headlines 18/4
Last update: 11:40 | 18/04/2014

Failure to address water pollution has consequences

Viet Nam needs to have a comprehensive, unified set of rules to control water pollution in the country, because the problem has assumed very serious proportions, experts and officials said at workshop yesterday.

"We now have several regulations scattered over several legal documents," said Pham Van Loi, head of the Institute of Science for Environmental Management.

This has meant that efforts to control water pollution throughout the country have not been effective, Loi said.

Many localities hardly implement existing regulations on controlling water pollution, he added.

He said concerned agencies should learn from the experiences of other countries before issuing effective regulations for managing water pollution in Viet Nam.

Loi also suggested the agencies to learn experiences from foreign countries before issuing the set of rules on controlling water pollution.

Viet Nam is home to more than 2,300 rivers.

Le Hoang Anh, deputy head of the Centre for Environmental Monitoring said that surface water in rivers in the northern region was highly polluted.

She cited the Nhue and To Lich rivers as examples.

The pollution has mostly been caused by untreated wastewater discharged by households, industrial zones, hospitals, and craft village, she said, adding the situation was almost the same in the southern region.

For instance, wastewater discharged from industrial zones had polluted long stretches of the Dong Nai River, Anh said.

In the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, wastewater from aquaculture and agricultural production had polluted local rivers, she added.

Anh suggested that authorised agencies in the northern region step up installation and operation of wastewater treatment systems for handling household waste in major cities like Ha Noi and Hai Phong, as well as provinces like Quang Ninh.

In the southern region, there is a need for greater focus on treating wastewater discharged by industrial zones, she said.

Mekong Delta authorities, meanwhile, should increase inspections of aquaculture farms as well as agricultural production processes that generate polluting waste, she added.

Loi said authorized agencies should be asked to ratify and apply international conventions on water pollution.

The two-day workshop was jointly organised by the Centre for Environment and Community Research, the Viet Nam Union of Scientific and Technology Associations and Coalition for Clean Water and OXFAM.

VNN/VOV/VNA/VNS

 

[Fattyacids]

French man swims Mekong to highlight pollution | Society | Thanh Nien Daily

French man swims Mekong to highlight pollution
Friday, April 25, 2014 12:17

1 / 22

Western media bash china a lot, but not a word about pollution in vietnam.

 

[Pakistanisage]

First " Agent Orange " wreaked havoc on the health of Vietnamese people and now these foreign Companies are Polluting their water.

 

[Established_1965]

Vietnam government should do something about it. Last year when i was in Vietnam, i got infected with typhoid, doctors in Singapore told me it might be due to water contamination and moreover my immune is weak to fight it off when compared to my counterparts in Vietnam.

 

[Fattyacids]

Vietnam government should do something about it. Last year when i was in Vietnam, i got infected with typhoid, doctors in Singapore told me it might be due to water contamination and moreover my immune is weak to fight it off when compared to my counterparts in Vietnam.

Countryside or city? Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

 

[Established_1965]

Countryside or city? Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

I stayed both in hanoi and ho chi minh city but didn't visit any countryside.

 

[Fattyacids]

I stayed both in hanoi and ho chi minh city but didn't visit any countryside.

If you stayed in city and still got infected, that's bad. Vietnam must issue health warning to all visitors.

 

[bolo]

"He said at many places in China and Thailand where he didn't have a visa, he was not bothered by the authorities"
Wtf? Chinese authorities need to wake up. just because it's remote, doesn't mean you should not enforce it.

 

[BoQ77]

It's unhappy to hear, but it's true ... Thanks Wholegrain to help us ...
Without acknowledge of the problem, we could not solve it ...

Wish China and other countries not suffer the same situation as ours

Vietnam government should do something about it. Last year when i was in Vietnam, i got infected with typhoid, doctors in Singapore told me it might be due to water contamination and moreover my immune is weak to fight it off when compared to my counterparts in Vietnam.

We adore the cleanliness in Singapore. Your people and govt do the best to keep your country green and clean ...
I and my family would visit Singapore and Malaysia for tourism on June.
Any recommended location and action ?

 

[Beidou2020]

"He said at many places in China and Thailand where he didn't have a visa, he was not bothered by the authorities"
Wtf? Chinese authorities need to wake up. just because it's remote, doesn't mean you should not enforce it.

Chinese law enforcement is amateurish beyond belief. Worthless bums.

"He said at many places in China and Thailand where he didn't have a visa, he was not bothered by the authorities"
Wtf? Chinese authorities need to wake up. just because it's remote, doesn't mean you should not enforce it.

Chinese law enforcement is amateurish beyond belief. Worthless bums.

 

[Kyle Sun]

Vietnam government should do something about it. Last year when i was in Vietnam, i got infected with typhoid, doctors in Singapore told me it might be due to water contamination and moreover my immune is weak to fight it off when compared to my counterparts in Vietnam.

Dirty water cause typhoid ?

I like his goPro2

 

[cirr]

What？

Vietnam is still basically an argarian country yet already facing water pollution problems and all that？

Wait till it becomes a manufacturing powerhouse。