Mud-soaked, overnight to revive To Lich River

For over a month now, drainage workers have been working through the cold to dredge sludge from the To Lich River, gradually reviving the river.

Soak in dirty water

After dinner with his family, Mr. Dang Minh Tien, an underground sewer worker at the Mechanical Construction and Installation Enterprise (Hanoi Drainage One Member Co., Ltd.) prepared to start his shift from 8:00 p.m. the night before to 4:00 a.m. the next morning at the upper To Lich River (near Hoang Quoc Viet Street).

Dozens of workers and many machines operate at full capacity to dredge sludge from the To Lich River at night. Photo: Ta Hai.

Because of direct contact with polluted water, protective clothing is also carefully prepared including: Hat, wading suit, shoulder-length gloves, specialized masks...

Mr. Tien had to soak in a container next to the floating raft to process the sludge. At 11pm, the cold air started to flow in with light rain, which was also the time for him to take a break with mud stains still on his face.

"The riverbed has all kinds of garbage, from plastic, tree branches to tables, chairs, iron, steel, animal carcasses... When I first started working, I was afraid of the danger and uncomfortable because of the stench, but after working a lot, I got used to it. The night shift is the hardest because of the cold and rainy weather, but everyone in the team tries their best, taking turns to finish the job soon," said Mr. Tien.

On the shore, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Toan, in charge of operating the suction truck, is always on duty to ensure that the production line is not interrupted. According to him, operating the suction truck will directly affect hearing because the machine's capacity when operating is too high, creating noise that causes tinnitus.

"If you choose this profession, you have to accept the difficulties. We also encourage each other when we can contribute our small efforts to help the To Lich River become green and clean again," Toan shared.

Having been in the profession for 27 years, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Du, a sludge truck driver, said that working the night shift is hard but more productive. During the day, traffic is heavy and many roads are blocked. The transportation time to the dumping site in Thanh Tri district and back in the evening only takes about 2 hours, but during the day it takes about 3 hours.

"Such sleepless nights inevitably make us feel tired. Therefore, we all have to prepare our health and get enough sleep during the day to stay alert and ensure the safety of the trips," said Mr. Du.

Construction while ensuring traffic

Directly supervising the quality and handling incidents arising during the construction process, Mr. Nguyen Van Dien, Deputy Director of the Construction and Installation Mechanical Construction Enterprise, shared that on average, each night, the unit will dredge about 60m of mud downstream of the To Lich River. It is expected that in the near future, the unit will mobilize more machinery and human resources to increase to 120m/night.

Worker Dang Minh Tien soaks in polluted water to treat sludge.

According to Mr. Dien, the most difficult thing is to ensure traffic safety while dredging. Besides, the weather also affects the progress. If it rains heavily and the river water rises, the construction cannot be carried out. Therefore, the unit is trying to complete the work before the rainy season.

Mr. Trinh Ngoc Son, Deputy General Director of Hanoi Drainage Company Limited, said that the unit dredging sludge in To Lich River is carried out annually. However, in 2024, the river will not be dredged due to the construction of a sewer system along both banks of the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment System project. Therefore, the amount of sludge accumulated is greater than in previous years.

"We are focusing on performing tasks in the upstream area and ensuring complete treatment up to the Lu bridge area. Currently, the unit has dredged more than 5,000-6,000m3 of sludge and is expected to dredge about 50,000m3 of sludge by April 30, 2025," Mr. Son informed.

According to Mr. Son, to achieve the above goal, the company organizes workers to work day and night, with shifts from 9am to 4pm and from 8pm to 3am the next morning.

Take West Lake water to supplement

Regarding the plan to clean up To Lich River and add water to improve the environment of the capital, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh assigned the Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Technical Infrastructure and Agriculture of the city to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Construction to review all wastewater discharge gates to supplement the sewer system to thoroughly collect wastewater from both sides to Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Plant.

This agency was also assigned to study the construction of dams on the To Lich River (including a T-shaped dam at the To Lich River junction near Long Quang Pagoda, Thanh Tri District and rubber dams to maintain the water level on the river) to supplement the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment System Project currently being implemented.

A representative of the Hanoi Department of Construction said that this agency was assigned to preside over the study and propose a plan to take water from West Lake to supplement To Lich River if necessary to maintain the water level of To Lich River through the West Lake A - Cong Do - Thuy Khue Canal regulation gate to be completed in August 2025.

In the long term, the Hanoi Department of Construction will coordinate with Tay Ho district to review related planning, carefully study and propose a plan to supplement water from the Red River to the To Lich River along Vo Chi Cong street to ensure both supplementing water to the To Lich River and regulating the water level of West Lake to be stable.

To Lich River has been seriously polluted for many years due to untreated domestic and industrial wastewater, making the river no longer able to maintain its natural ecosystem.

Faced with this situation, since early February 2025, the Hanoi People's Committee has directed the overall dredging of the To Lich River to improve the environment. The Department of Construction has been assigned to coordinate with the Hanoi Drainage Company Limited to complete the dredging work by August 2025.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/dam-bun-xuyen-dem-hoi-sinh-song-to-lich-192250310224453665.htm