Ha Long Bay management board says garbage 'inevitable'

Quang Ninh Ha Long Bay Management Board said that it is "unavoidable" that there is trash in the bay due to the difficulty in controlling and treating the source of the waste.

At the regular press conference of the first quarter held by the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province on April 8, Mr. Vu Kien Cuong, Head of the Ha Long Bay Management Board, said that since the beginning of the year, units have collected 75 tons of garbage and over 2,000 square meters of foam in Ha Long Bay.

Floating trash gets stuck on rocky islands and mangrove forests, making collection very difficult. When the tide rises, trash flows out into the bay, floating everywhere and creating a bad image for domestic and foreign tourists.

Trash floating in Ha Long Bay on April 4. Photo: Le Tan — Trash floating in Ha Long Bay on April 4. Photo: *Le Tan*

There are four sources of garbage in Ha Long Bay, including the consequences of the process of dismantling cages and rafts, creating rafts and foam buoys; household waste such as plastic bags, food containers, and plastic bottles spread from the shore to the bay; garbage from the ocean and leaves and branches from 5,000 dense forests that fall on the rocky islands and are blown into the sea by storms and winds.

"The garbage does not come from tourists ," said Mr. Cuong.

In addition, the water in the bay is also polluted because some old residential areas along the shore do not have treatment systems and discharge water directly into the sea. Wastewater also comes from some outdated fishing vessels operating in the bay.

Therefore, Mr. Cuong assessed that garbage in Ha Long Bay is "unavoidable".

He said Quang Ninh province is developing and perfecting policies and mechanisms to manage, protect the environment, preserve and promote the heritage value of Ha Long Bay. The province has collected and managed waste and domestic wastewater; controlled the environmental protection of waterway vehicles. In addition, the work of monitoring the status of heritage conservation and monitoring the environment of Ha Long Bay has been promoted along with environmental protection propaganda in many forms.

Ha Long City is organizing a district-wide clean-up of Ha Long Bay. Photo: Xuan Hoa — Ha Long City is organizing a district-wide clean-up of Ha Long Bay. Photo: *Xuan Hoa*

Ha Long City has implemented a project to drain and treat urban wastewater, ensuring that 100% of domestic wastewater is treated to meet standards before being discharged into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants in other localities along the coast of Ha Long Bay are being accelerated.

Currently, 100% of cruise ships operating in Ha Long Bay have systems to treat wastewater mixed with oil. Newly built cruise ships must install a domestic wastewater treatment system that meets Vietnam's national standards before operating in the bay.

"Quang Ninh is not lax in environmental protection. When there is a lot of garbage, there will be campaigns and campaigns to collect and treat the garbage promptly," Mr. Cuong affirmed.

Le Tan

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