A national program is needed to address the "dead river".

Continuing the agenda of the 6th Session, on the afternoon of November 6th, the National Assembly continued to question members of the Government on the second group of areas related to industry and trade, agriculture and rural development, transportation, construction, and natural resources and environment.

During the questioning session, delegate Nguyen Tuan Anh ( Long An delegation) posed a question to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment. According to him, Resolution No. 499 of the Standing Committee of the 15th National Assembly requires appropriate mechanisms and policies to address environmental pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system. However, monitoring by the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment has shown that water pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system has not been thoroughly resolved and still faces many difficulties.

"I request the Minister to specify which policies the Ministry has issued or advised on the issuance of, and the fundamental solutions to address the environmental pollution situation in the Bac Hung Hai system?", a representative questioned.

Dialogue - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment: A national program is needed to address the 'dead river'. — National Assembly Deputy Nguyen Tuan Anh raises questions.

In response, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh stated that the Ministry had coordinated with relevant units to inspect the pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system and found that addressing the issue would require time and resources.

Originally a water management system, it now has the added responsibility of discharging wastewater for Hanoi, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, and Hung Yen. Each day, the system receives up to 500,000 cubic meters of wastewater, with the drainage areas in Gia Lam and Long Bien districts receiving a significant amount.

According to Mr. Khanh, this waste comes from industrial zones, industrial clusters, urban areas, and residential areas. Most localities do not have wastewater treatment systems, so they have to discharge it into Bac Hung Hai.

Mr. Khanh stated that Hanoi is trying to build a wastewater treatment plant, but it is not yet complete. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Public Security have investigated and penalized many businesses for discharging wastewater in violation of regulations.

"Wastewater treatment requires a lot of resources. We will have a solution for the Bac Hung Hai system," Mr. Khanh said, suggesting that a national target program is needed to treat the dead river. This requires many resources, including social mobilization and the participation of wastewater dischargers in treatment.

At the same time, strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts to ensure that the people and businesses strictly comply with legal regulations; and enhance monitoring of the northern Hung Hai system…

Dialogue - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment: A national program is needed to address 'dead rivers' (Figure 2). — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh.

During the questioning of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, National Assembly representative Do Thi Viet Ha (from Bac Giang province) stated that for many years, the severe pollution of the Cau River has directly and significantly affected the lives of voters and people in several districts of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces. The National Assembly representative from the province questioned the Minister about this issue.

The representative requested the Minister to provide an update on the implementation of the responses to the questions raised and the solutions proposed. Why has this situation remained unresolved for so many years? And what solutions are there to definitively resolve this issue as soon as possible?

Dialogue - Minister of Natural Resources and Environment: A national program is needed to address 'dead rivers' (Figure 3). — National Assembly Deputy Do Thi Viet Ha raises questions.

Responding to a question about environmental pollution in the Cau River (Bac Giang), Minister Dang Quoc Khanh stated that the pollution in the Cau River originates from the Ngu Uyen Khe River, with approximately 15,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater discharged daily from industrial clusters.

Recently, the Ministry established an environmental protection monitoring team to oversee the activities of Phong Khe Paper Village, selecting 22 establishments for direct monitoring. The Ministry has urged Bac Ninh province to coordinate with Bac Giang province to direct relevant departments to definitively resolve issues related to this traditional paper-making village.

In the coming period, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposes focusing on reviewing and constructing wastewater treatment facilities for the Phong Khe 1-2 and Phu Lam areas, among others. Therefore, it is requested that Bac Ninh province pay attention to this issue and supervise wastewater treatment in these areas.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will continue monitoring and coordinate with Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces to strictly handle violations. In addition, it will strengthen propaganda and mobilization efforts to encourage organizations and individuals in craft villages to work together with the community, as well as mobilize budget and social resources for wastewater collection and treatment .

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