Join hands to preserve and restore rivers

World Water Day March 22, 2025 was launched by the United Nations (UN) with the theme "Glacier Preservation" to raise global awareness of the important role of glaciers, snow and ice in the Earth's climate system and hydrological cycle.

Collecting trash, clearing water hyacinth, and clearing the flow of the inland river system in Lien Phuong commune (Hung Yen city)

In Vietnam, the 2025 propaganda theme is concretized as “Conservation and restoration of rivers”, aiming to adapt to the situation of water resources degradation, depletion and pollution. This not only contributes to protecting domestic water resources but also helps Vietnam cooperate with countries in the region to manage water resources in a balanced and unified manner, ensuring water security and sustainable development.

In Hung Yen province, the river network is quite dense with large river systems such as the Red River, Luoc River... In particular, the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system through the province is 34.5km long, providing water for about 38 thousand hectares of agricultural land, 12 thousand hectares of aquaculture and domestic water for about 500 thousand people in the province. However, monitoring results over the past three years show that the water of Bac Hung Hai river and its branches flowing into this irrigation system are polluted by organic and microbiological substances such as BOD5, COD, TSS, NH4, Coliforms... In which, COD exceeds 1.003 - 1.77 times; BOD5 exceeds 1.01 - 1.76 times; NO2- exceeds 1.01 - 10.82 times; total oil and grease exceeds 1.24 - 2.96 times.

In order to protect surface water resources and the river system in the province, in recent years, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has built a water resources database, planned water resource protection, and strictly controlled wastewater discharge into water resources. The province is maintaining 26 water resource monitoring points, including 23 groundwater monitoring points and 3 surface water monitoring points, while promoting automatic wastewater monitoring at large enterprises.

Along with that, the province maintains an environmental monitoring network with 7 fixed points for sampling river water quality. In the past three years, each year the Department of Agriculture and Environment (formerly the Department of Natural Resources and Environment) has organized inspections and checks of 50 to 70 facilities related to water discharge into the environment.

Not only state management agencies, many people living near the river also actively participate in water resource protection activities. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a resident of Dan Tien commune (Khoai Chau), shared: “Previously, many sections of the river in the commune were polluted by domestic waste and untreated wastewater. Recently, I have joined the people in collecting garbage along the river, and at the same time, propagandizing so that everyone is more aware of protecting water resources. If everyone is responsible, each locality attaches importance to protecting rivers in particular and water resources in general, the rivers will be clear and blue again.”

Currently, the movement to protect the homeland river is being maintained in most districts, towns and cities in the province. Notably in the districts of Phu Cu, Tien Lu, An Thi, Khoai Chau, Van Giang and Hung Yen city. The main activities are organized monthly and quarterly by associations and organizations such as farmers, women, youth unions, etc. through collecting trash, dredging streams, and promoting environmental protection. In Hung Yen, surface water plays an important role in life and production, especially in providing domestic water. Currently, clean water plants in the province mainly use raw water from the Red River and Luoc River to treat it into domestic water. However, the current situation of river pollution in the province is posing a great challenge to ensuring clean water sources, requiring drastic solutions to preserve and restore rivers. First of all, it is necessary to strictly control the discharge of waste from industrial zones, craft villages and residential areas, requiring all production facilities to treat wastewater to meet standards before discharging it into the environment. In addition, there should be policies to support businesses in investing in advanced wastewater treatment technology, and encourage the application of cleaner production models to reduce pressure on the river system.

In addition, clearing the flow, dredging silted rivers, and restoring aquatic ecosystems are also very important to increase the river's self-cleaning ability. Along with that, the province needs to continue investing in upgrading the water environment monitoring system, promptly detecting and handling pollution sources. Only by synchronously implementing these solutions can we protect clean water sources for daily life and production, and gradually restore the purity of rivers in the area.

Goodness

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/chung-tay-bao-ton-va-phuc-hoi-cac-dong-song-3180027.html