Poor Waste Management Systems Add to Marine Pollution in Vietnam

Vietnam’s marine environment is facing the rising pollution caused by human activities and the lack of an effective pollution control mechanism, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Environment Administration Hoang Duong Tung said. The population growth in coastal provinces resulted from a new flow of immigrants and the rapid urban development in these areas has led to a considerable increase in the total amount of waste dumped into the sea via the river and canal systems, he attributed. Figures from the Institute of Mechanics showed that the volume of solid waste in coastal provinces in 2009 amounted to an average of 7,800 tons per day while wastewater averagely reached 11.8 million cu.m per day. The National Report on Environment 2010 found that there were no effective waste treatment systems in place in those provinces during that time. Ships and other types of marine transportation are also attributed to the sea pollution. Industrial wastewater is released from ships contained toxic substances, including oil and grease, detergents and heavy metals which caused impacts to sea water quality. Each month, ports in Haiphong City and Quang Ninh province received 400 container ships discharging from 430,000 to 710,000 cu.m of ballast water each, an indispensable substance to help ships remain stable in the water. However, this process releases exotic marine animals and plants from foreign waters into the local environment. In 2008 alone, 4,578 tons of wastewater containing oil was dispersed into the sea by 394 container ships. Remnants left 2,561 tons of oil in the sediment, the report added. Waste from coal mining activities could result in the sedimentation process, aquatic loss and water quality degradation. Total volume of wastewater released from coal exploitation sites was estimated at 25-30 million cu.m and was highly acidic. Wastewater and household waste from tourism services had a direct impact on surface water pollution near beaches. Vietnam with a long coast line of over 3,200 km, has wastewater from coastal areas accounted for one quarter of the total wastewater nationwide. (Vietnam News July 29)