The water of the Dong Nai River is pitch black and smells bad.

The river water past Ben Soi bridge is pitch black.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, residing in Nam Ben Soi Hamlet, Thanh Long Commune, Chau Thanh District, said that about five or six days ago, the river water began to show signs of turning black like pig manure, and gave off a strong stench like tapioca water, causing his family's life to be turned upside down.

According to Mr. Ha, the current polluted river water situation occurs almost every year around the end of April and the beginning of May. The polluted water source has caused the aquatic products in the river to gradually dry up, and fishing, the main source of income for the family, has also been affected.

People have difficulty because of dense water hyacinth.

“The other day I waded down to collect water hyacinth, but when I came back at night my feet were itchy. The water was black and smelled bad, how could the fish live?” Mr. Ha shook his head in disappointment.

Mr. TVK, who lives near Mr. Ha's house, said that every day he often pulls a hammock out to the foot of Ben Soi bridge to take a nap, but because the river water has been smelling bad for the past few days, especially during low tide, lying there smelling it gives him a headache, and he is worried about its effects on his health, so he doesn't dare sleep there anymore.

According to Mr. K., since the Lunar New Year of At Ty 2025, the river section at Ben Soi bridge has continuously been covered with dense water hyacinth, obstructing the traffic of waterway vehicles, especially near the foot of the bridge. Because the bridge abutments narrow the flow, the water hyacinth in this area is often dense, making it difficult for small boats and ships to pass through this section.

"The water hyacinth is almost always thick, many boats cannot move, so they have to tie the ropes in the middle of the bridge for a whole day, waiting for the tide to rise and then release the ropes for the boats to go downstream. The hardest part is for those who cultivate rice fields along the river, each time they cross the river is like torture, the fields are close to the riverbank, but after harvesting, they have to hire a tractor to go several kilometers, bring the rice to the asphalt road to sell," Mr. K. shared more.

A leader of Tri Binh commune said that on April 29, the People's Committee of the commune received a complaint from the people about the water status of the Vam Co Dong River, the section flowing through the commune, showing signs of pollution. Immediately after that, the commune directly inspected a number of river wharves in the area. At the time of inspection, the river water was pitch black and had a strong foul odor. The People's Committee of the commune reported to the district, requesting that specialized agencies promptly find the cause of the pollution.

Mr. Tran Khac Phuc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment said that according to people's feedback, from April 20-27, 2025, the water of the Vam Co Dong River in the Bao canal area of Long Giang commune, Ben Cau district, was black and had an unpleasant odor.

On April 27, the Department of Agriculture and Environment coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ben Cau district, the People's Committees of Long Giang and Tien Thuan communes to conduct a field survey on the river section from Ben Dinh bridge towards Bao canal. At the time of the survey, water hyacinth was growing densely, the quality of the water source on the river was declining, the water was black.

During the survey, the delegation discovered at Huynh Vuong wharf, the water hyacinth gathering area of Thanh Thanh Cong Agricultural Development Joint Stock Company (the unit that contracted with the Department of Construction to handle water hyacinth), there were about 300 tons of water hyacinth in the process of decomposition, the water that leaked from the water hyacinth was black and smelly and flowed into the river, causing environmental pollution (the water of the Dong Vam Co River in this area was black and smelly). The Department of Agriculture and Environment took samples for analysis, evaluation and worked with Thanh Thanh Cong Agricultural Development Joint Stock Company. After the analysis results were available, the Department would consider handling them according to regulations.

Also according to Mr. Phuc, currently, the weather in the province is complicated, it is the time of seasonal transition, to protect the water quality of the Vam Co Dong River as well as create a clear and convenient flow for people to transport agricultural products, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requested the Department of Construction to request Thanh Thanh Cong Agricultural Development Joint Stock Company to concentrate all available means, urgently collect, transport and completely handle all the remaining water hyacinth at Huynh Vuong wharf, including during the holidays of April 30 and May 1; at the same time, strengthen and arrange means and equipment, ensure timely collection and salvage, do not let water hyacinth develop into local congestion, especially at narrow bends.

After being salvaged, water hyacinth must be gathered on the shore. Absolutely do not chop or cut it and dump it directly into the river, causing obstruction of the flow, polluting the water source and negatively affecting the aquatic ecosystem. Collect and transport all water hyacinth generated during the day to the correct treatment location according to regulations. Do not let water hyacinth remain on the water surface or in the collection area for more than 24 hours. Do not let water seepage from the decomposition process of water hyacinth carcasses flow into the river, causing pollution of the surrounding water, soil and air.

Minh Duong

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/nuoc-song-vam-co-dong-den-kit-boc-mui-hoi-nong-nac-a189613.html