02/08/2024
In recent time, environmental protection for river basins has received attention from the Party, the National Assembly and the Government, including environmental protection for the Bac Hung Hai irrigation work system (the Bac Hung Hai system). The Bac Hung Hai system is an important irrigation work, serving multiple purposes (agricultural and industrial production, business, people's livelihood) for 4 provinces and city: Bac Ninh, Ha Noi, Hung Yen and Hai Duong, the increasing amount of waste and wastewater discharged into the irrigation work system led to serious water pollution. Faced with the above situation, many positive and effective measures and solutions have been implemented to improve the quality of water environment of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation work system. This article summarizes results achieved, evaluates the current status and causes of pollution, and thereby proposes tasks and solutions appropriate to the current actual status to ensure the complete and thorough resolution to the water pollution problem for the Bac Hung Hai system.
1. Current status of water source pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system
Construction of the Bac Hung Hai system was started in 1958, the system has a total length of 232 km of main stream and over 2,000 km of branch streams and canals of all kinds to supply water for agricultural production and people's livelihood of 4 provinces and city (Ha Noi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen and Hai Dương). Along with the process of urbanization and industrialization, the Bac Hung Hai system takes on the additional function of receiving domestic wastewater and wastewater from production, business, service establishments, hospitals, craft villages and livestock... with increasingly large traffic. The entire basin area is 192,045 ha, including 10 districts and cities of Hung Yen province with 79,480 ha; 7 districts and cities of Hai Duong province with 69,560 ha; 3 districts and towns of Bac Ninh province with 26,020 ha and 2 districts of Ha Noi city with 10,540 ha. Irrigation water is taken from Red river mainly through Xuân Quan sluice, from Thai Binh river through Cau Xe and Cau Cat sluices, and from Luộc river through An Tho sluice. Drainage water flows automatically through Cau Xe, An Tho, Cầu Cất sluices and is actively drained through pumping stations combined with irrigation and drainage directly into large rivers in narrow areas along Duong, Luoc, and Thai Binh rivers.
Tasks of the Bac Hung Hai system include: (i) ensuring irrigation for 110,000 ha of cultivated land; creating a source of water supply for livestock and poultry farming, aquaculture in an area of 12,000 ha (ii) creating a source of domestic water supply for more than 3 million people and concentrated industrial parks, handicraft production establishments in an area of about 4,300 ha; (iii) draining water and preventing flood for an area of 192,045 ha, protecting people's livelihood, agricultural production and other production establishments; (iv) maintaining flow on river axes, contributing to reducing pollution, water resource depletion, and improving the ecological environment. The Bac Hung Hai Irrigation Works Exploitation One Member Company Limited under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is responsible for managing 14 main focal works, 232 km of main canals and 491 km of main canal bank. Provincial-level irrigation works exploitation companies directly manage in-field works from level II canals, over 800 irrigation and drainage sluices covering an area of over 250 ha and thousands of kilometres of in-field canals.
In recent years, the Bac Hung Hai canal system has been degraded with sedimentation in many places, limiting the ability to carry water, leading to water often being stagnant and not circulating. The irrigation canal system also regularly receives a large amount of wastewater from daily activities of urban areas and concentrated residential areas; industrial wastewater from industrial zones - clusters, production, business and service establishments; animal husbandry, craft villages, healthcare... discharged directly into the system, causing serious pollution. According to data on periodic water quality developments in the provinces of Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong (frequency of 4-6 times/year) and 8 automatic surface water monitoring stations (Ha Noi city: 1 station; Hung Yen: 4 stations; Hai Duong: 3 stations); according to data from the Institute for Water and Environment, MARD (periodically from 2 to 6 times/year, at 10 points), the current water source status of the Bac Hung Hai system is polluted in both scope and level. Specifically, results of monitoring and analyzing water quality samples in the period of 2017-2022 show that over 90% of monitoring locations have one or more parameters with pollution of organics, nutrients, microorganisms... exceeding allowable limit of QCVN 08-MT:2015/BTNMT column B1 for irrigation and drainage or other uses (referred to as QCVN-08); over 90% of days have DO values that do not meet QCVN-08 and over 70% of days have N-NH4+ and TSS values that exceed QCVN-08. Especially in the dry season, the level of water pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system increases significantly. In recent years (2021-2022), data at automatic monitoring stations have continuously recorded N-NH4+ parameter values exceeding the limit during the entire rainy season. By early 2022, many river sections such as Nhu Quynh and Dien Bien river branches (belonging to Hung Yen province) and Cam Giang, Sat, Bui, Tu Ky, Cuu An, Dinh Dao rivers (belonging to Hai Duongprovince) are no longer able to receive water with N-NH4+ parameter for irrigation and water transportation purposes; branches of Cau Bay river and Kien Thanh canal (Ha Noi city), Nhu Quynh, Ban Vu Xa, Cau Luong rivers and Tran Thanh Ngo, Dien Bien canals (Hung Yen province) and Cau Binh, Cau Coc rivers (Hai Duongprovince), the river section bordering Hung Yen and Hai Duongprovinces are no longer able to receive water with COD and BOD5 parameters for irrigation purposes...
On the other hand, the Bac Hung Hai system also has to receive a large amount of domestic wastewater from urban areas and concentrated residential areas; industrial wastewater from production, business and service establishments; wastewater from livestock and craft villages... and receive polluted water from rivers in the area (Cau Bay river of Ha Noi city; branches of Ban Vu Xa, Dinh Du rivers and Tran Thanh Ngo canal of Hung Yen province; Sat and Cuu An rivers of Hai Duongprovince;...), causing river pollution to increase.
Statistical data from the Directorate of Water Resources, MARD also show that the total amount of wastewater discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system in 2022 is about 438,899 m3/day and night. In particular, wastewater discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system is mainly domestic wastewater from urban areas and concentrated residential areas (accounting for about 72%); remaining types of wastewater include: industrial wastewater generated from production, business and service establishments (about 18%) and agriculture, craft villages, healthcare (about 10%), specifically:
Domestic wastewater: Hung Yen province has 451 residential areas discharging wastewater with a flow of about 114,088 m3/day and night; Hai Duongprovince has residential areas of 85 communes, wards and towns of 7 districts and cities discharging wastewater with a flow of about 153,215 m3/day and night; Ha Noi city has 28 discharge points from residential areas that discharge wastewater directly into Cau Bay river with a flow of about 50,000 m3/day and night. Most of these urban areas and residential areas have not yet invested in building and installing centralized domestic wastewater treatment systems to treat wastewater before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system.
Industrial wastewater from industrial parks (IPs): 100% of operating IPs have centralized wastewater treatment systems, of which 18 IPs discharge wastewater into the Bac Hung Hai system with a flow of about 71,155 m3/day and night (Hung Yen province has 7 IPs; Hai Duongprovince has 7 IPs; Ha Noi city has 2 IPs; Bac Ninh province has 2 IPs).
Wastewater from industrial clusters (ICs): There are a total of 51 ICs discharging wastewater into the Bac Hung Hai system, of which Ha Noi city has 5 ICs; Hung Yen province has 17 ICs; Hai Duongprovince has 23 ICs; Bac Ninh province has 6 ICs; 86.3% (46/51) of ICs have not yet invested in building centralized wastewater treatment systems to treat wastewater before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system, 13.7% (7/51) of ICs have wastewater treatment systems (5 ICs in Ha Noi city, Luong Dien IC in Hai Duong province and Minh Khai IC in Hung Yen province).
Wastewater from craft villages: Hung Yen province has 59 craft villages; Hai Duongprovince has 47 craft villages; Bac Ninh province has 3 craft villages; Ha Noi city has not yet compiled statistics. Most craft villages have not yet invested in building centralized wastewater treatment systems. Some craft households pre-treat wastewater (settlement tanks, biogas) before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system.
Wastewater from production, business, and service establishments outside IPs, ICs and craft villages: According to incomplete statistics, there are about 530 production establishments outside IPs, ICs, and craft villages discharging wastewater with a flow of 35,287 m3/day and night and 108 establishments having wastewater treatment systems, of which Ha Noi city has 5 establishments, Hung Yen province has 107 establishments, Hai Duong province has 382 establishments, Bac Ninh province has 34 establishments. In fact, there are still cases where establishments discharge untreated wastewater or treated wastewater but not meeting environmental technical standards into the Bac Hung Hai system.
Wastewater from livestock and aquaculture establishments: Hung Yen province has 2,608 livestock and aquaculture establishments; Bac Ninh province has 38 establishments, some of which are located between residential areas that have not yet invested in building environmental protection and wastewater treatment facilities or wastewater is not treated to meet allowed standards, discharging into the general drainage system of the area, then into the environment.
2. Results of environmental pollution remediation for the Bac Hung Hai system
To prevent and gradually reverse water pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system, in recent time, the MONRE has many guiding and urging documents issued such as: Decree No. 08/2022/NĐ-CP dated 10 January 2022 detailing a number of articles of the LEP; Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BTNMT on technical guidance on planning for surface water environmental quality management; Decision No. 2625/QĐ-BTNMT dated 10 October 2022 on controlling and treating water pollution in the Bac Hung Hai river system; Official Dispatch No. 5008/BTNMT-KSONMT dated 27 June 2023 requesting to continue organizing and implementing the Water pollution control and treatment plan in the Bac Hung Hai system...
The MONRE has coordinated with functional sectors, provinces and city: Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen and Ha Noi to inspect and examine the compliance with legislations on environmental protection of production, business and service establishments having waste discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system. According to the report of the MONRE, from 2018 to 2022, the Vietnam Environment Administration of the MONRE and competent agencies of the provinces and city: Ha Noi, Bac Ninh, Hai Duongand Hung Yen conducted inspections and examinations at 835 establishments operating in the provinces of the Bac Hung Hai system; sanctioned 427 establishments with a total amount of over 25.7 billion VND.
The Police Department for Countering Environmental Crimes and public security forces of 4 provinces and city focused on organizing 6 peak rounds of inspection and handling of 562 cases of violation of environmental protection legislations with a total amount of about 19.2 billion VND; at the same time, made a list of main waste discharge points and prepared management and monitoring records for establishments with large waste sources or causing environmental pollution.
Infrastructure investment has been paid attention to, regarding wastewater generated from industrial production activities, 100% of IPs in 4 provinces and city that discharge wastewater into the Bac Hung Hai system have invested in building centralized wastewater treatment systems. However, for wastewater generated from ICs, craft villages, and livestock farms, most of them have not yet invested in building wastewater collection and treatment systems according to regulations.
For domestic wastewater collection and treatment activities, Hung Yen city has had a wastewater collection and treatment system with a capacity of 6,300 m3/day and night. Hai Duong city has built a wastewater treatment system with a capacity of 13,000 m3/day and night and is completing the basic design of the project to build a collection pipe to separate urban wastewater to a wastewater treatment station with a capacity of 12,000 m3/day and night. Bac Ninh province has directed relevant departments, sectors, district and town People's Committees to research, report, propose plans, investment funds and agree on locations to build centralized wastewater treatment stations in Thuan Thanh town, Gia Bình and Luong Tai districts. Ha Noi city has planned for the period of 2021-2025 to invest in building wastewater treatment plants in Phuc Dong, An Lac, Dong Du, Phu Thi to treat urban wastewater with a total capacity of about 70,000 m3/day and night.
Besides, Ha Noi city has installed an automatic and continuous surface water environmental monitoring station on Cau Bay river (at the Am pumping station location in Ngoc Dong village, Da Ton commune, Gia Lam district). Hai Duong province has installed 4 stations and Hung Yen province has installed 4 automatic and continuous water environmental monitoring stations.
Along with that, local authorities promote propaganda and raise awareness of people as well as the business community about environmental protection and water quality protection in the Bac Hung Hai system; guide businesses to focus on investing in wastewater treatment works that meet environmental protection requirements...
3. Some remaining problems and causes
Although some above results have been achieved in controlling and treating water source pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system, the water source pollution status is still complicated, and some areas are still polluted locally with main causes as follows:
Urban areas, concentrated residential areas and rural areas do not have wastewater collection system or treatment plant, most of wastewater is being discharged directly into the environment; 86% of industrial wastewater from ICs is not treated; most of craft villages and livestock households do not have wastewater collection and treatment systems. This is the main and direct cause of water pollution.
The phenomenon of sedimentation in the river bed, encroachment on the river bed and river banks, throwing garbage, littering, and waste into the river still recurs, causing flow congestion, stagnant water, and no circulation. In addition, during the dry season of the year, the water source to supplement the Bac Hung Hai system is lacking, because the water level of the Red river at Xuan Quan sluice is lower than the design level, the Bac Hung Hai system is completely just a canal circulating wastewater discharged from residential and industrial activities in the area, causing water pollution more serious.
The awareness of some businesses and people is still low, they do not strictly comply with environmental protection legislations, there are still incidents of discharge of untreated wastewater or treated wastewater not meeting technical requirements in accordance with environmental protection regulations, this is the cause contributing to water pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system.
Investment projects to build centralized domestic wastewater treatment plants often have large investment costs, so many projects lack investment resources, leading to slow implementation.
4. Solutions for environmental pollution remediation for the Bac Hung Hai system
To completely solve the environmental pollution status of the Bac Hung Hai system, improve and restore the environment and landscape ecosystem of polluted river sections, returning the original and inherent environment of the Bac Hung Hai system, on 9 August 2023, the Government Office issued Document No. 315/TB-VPCP announcing the Conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà at the Conference on the results of remedying environmental pollution in the Bac Hung Hai irrigation works system, assigning tasks to each ministry, sector and local authority to organize the implementation with a number of key solutions and tasks such as:
Firstly, the group of solutions and tasks on planning: Focus on completing the master plan of 4 provinces and city on the Bac Hung Hai system, in particular integrate relevant master plans, clearly identify solid waste treatment areas and centralized domestic wastewater collection and treatment systems in accordance with the orientation in regional master plan, national environmental protection master plan, national sectoral environmental protection master plan according to regulations. Arrange enough land fund to implement technical infrastructure for environmental protection according to approved master plans.
Secondly, perfecting mechanisms and policies: Research and propose mechanisms and policies to mobilize all resources, especially socialization and investment in the form of public-private partnerships in centralized solid waste and wastewater treatment works; review all national sectoral technical regulations (QCVN) related to wastewater and drainage; on that basis, research, propose the development and promulgation of QCVN on treated wastewater for different uses, including the purpose of using treated wastewater to replenish water sources for rivers, canals and ditches... helping maintain flow, reduce and improve water pollution.
Thirdly, investment in and building technical infrastructure for environmental protection: Concentrate investment resources on building centralized domestic wastewater collection and treatment works, ensuring wastewater generated in the area is fully collected and treated, meeting QCVN requirements before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system; invest in automatic and continuous wastewater and surface water monitoring systems, especially for wastewater sources with large discharge volumes on the Bac Hung Hai system; environmental monitoring data must be transmitted, updated, and stored to relevant competent agencies for exploitation and use according to regulations.
Fourthly, management, control and monitoring of waste sources: Build a shared database to manage waste sources discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system to serve the management, control and monitoring of waste sources; develop and organize the implementation of management, control and monitoring plans for each waste source according to the principle of which level, unit approves and grants the permit to discharge wastewater into the waste source (environmental permit), that level, unit must manage, control and monitor the permitted waste sources; do resolutely not grant investment licenses or environmental permits to projects and establishments that do not meet environmental protection requirements, especially projects and establishments that do not have wastewater treatment measures or works to ensure wastewater treated meeting the QCVN before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system.
Fifthly, the work of inspecting, examining and handling environmental violations: Continue to strengthen the work of inspecting and examining the compliance with legislations on environmental protection; prevent and combat environmental crimes and handle environmental violations by organizations and individuals discharging wastewater into the Bac Hung Hai system and its tributaries; strictly handle violations. At the same time, thoroughly apply measures to remedy the consequences of violations, suspend waste discharge activities and require upgrading and completion that wastewater treatment works must ensure meeting environmental protection requirements according to regulations.
Sixthly, propaganda and communication to raise awareness of environmental protection: Strengthen propaganda and communication to raise awareness of environmental protection, especially the provisions of the LEP 2020 and documents guiding implementation so that each business and citizen can understand the legal regulations on environmental protection and be deeply aware of their roles and responsibilities in environmental protection; maximize the role of socio-political organizations, unions, and residential communities in joining hands for environmental protection; resolutely fight and not let acts of discharge of waste polluting the environment of the Bac Hung Hai system take place in the area.
Specific tasks:
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment: Preside and coordinate with relevant agencies to advise on the development and submission to the Prime Minister for consideration and promulgation of the Prime Minister's Directive on "Some urgent solutions to strengthen controlling and treating river basin water environmental pollution", considered for promulgation in the third quarter of 2023; select the Bac Hung Hai system as a pilot model to handle and have plans and solutions to completely resolve the environmental pollution of rivers flowing through urban areas and large cities across the country; urgently develop, submit for promulgation and organize the implementation of the Surface water environmental quality management plan for the Bac Hung Hai system according to the provisions of the LEP 2020; continue to promote inspection and examination of compliance with environmental protection legislations.
- Ministry of Public Security: Continue to direct the Police Department for Countering Environmental Crimes and public security forces of 4 provinces and city to promote the prevention, detection and fight against environmental crimes; strictly handle acts of discharge polluting the environment in the Bac Hung Hai system; strengthen examination and reconnaissance to promptly prevent and immediately handle acts and activities of establishments that discharge waste in contravention of regulations polluting the environment.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Review and comprehensively evaluate the current status and effectiveness of irrigation works; develop projects, plans, arrange capital sources and organize the implementation of dredging, repairing and upgrading works of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system; review and develop operating procedures for the Bac Hung Hai system in a synchronous, unified and rhythmic manner, ensuring the maintenance of minimum flow according to regulations. In the immediate future, focus on researching and proposing solutions in the direction of investing in field and mobile pumping systems in suitable locations to promptly replenish water sources into the Bac Hung Hai system in the dry season of 2023.
- Ministry of Construction: Research, develop and propose competent agencies to promulgate regulations on functional zoning planning in urban areas that integrate centralized wastewater treatment system planning; guide and solve problems that arise in localities during the process of investing in building, upgrading and renovating technical infrastructure systems for collecting, treating and draining wastewater from urban and concentrated residential areas on the Bac Hung Hai system according to regulations; develop and promulgate economic and technical norms for the collection and treatment of wastewater in urban and concentrated residential areas.
- People's Committee of 4 provinces and city: Urgently review and submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval of provincial master plan for the period up to 2030 and vision to 2050, in which, pay attention to solid waste treatment areas, centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems that must be integrated into provincial master plan according to regulations; develop and approve investment plans and roadmaps to build, upgrade, renovate and expand the system of rainwater collection works separate from the wastewater collection and treatment works on the Bac Hung Hai system according to regulations. Specifically:
+ Concentrate resources to implement investment projects to build concentrated domestic wastewater treatment plants from medium-term public investment sources (period of 2023-2025, 2026-2030), ensuring that by 2030, collect and treat all domestic wastewater generated in the area to meet QCVN before discharging into the environment. Prioritize investment projects for urban areas and concentrated residential areas having waste directly discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system. Particularly for Ha Noi city, it is necessary to concentrate and urgently mobilize all resources to accelerate the implementation of investment projects to build centralized domestic wastewater treatment plants in Long Bien and Gia Lam districts to collect and treat all domestic wastewater generated in the area before discharging into Cau Bay river, then into the Bac Hung Hai system.
+ Develop a plan to deploy a pilot model to completely resolve water environmental pollution in the Bac Hung Hai system.
+ Invest in field and mobile pumping systems in suitable locations to promptly replenish water sources into the Bac Hung Hai system in the dry season of 2023.
+ Resolutely not grant investment licenses or environmental permits to projects and establishments that do not meet environmental protection requirements according to regulations, especially projects and establishments that do not have environmental protection measures or works meeting environmental protection requirements, and do not ensure that wastewater is treated to meet QCVN before discharging into the Bac Hung Hai system.
+ Continue to promote inspection and examination of compliance with environmental protection legislations, strengthen prevention, detection and fight against environmental crimes, focus on projects and establishments that discharge waste into the Bac Hung Hai system, strictly handle violations according to regulations.
+ Strengthen communication work, raise people's awareness of environmental protection, responsibility, and importance of protecting water resources of river basins including the Bac Hung Hai system.
+ Build a shared database to manage all waste sources generating wastewater discharged into the Bac Hung Hai system, that effectively serves management, control and monitoring; in which local authorities conduct surveys, collect and synthesize information and data to build a shared database.
+ Review and develop operating procedures for the Bac Hung Hai system in a synchronous, unified, and rhythmic manner, ensuring the maintenance of minimum flow according to regulations.
+ Review provincial master plans to ensure full integration of centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems in the area in accordance with orientations in regional master plan and national environmental protection master plan according to regulations.
+ Implement regulations on public-private partnerships for investment in construction and operation of centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems, especially in urban areas and concentrated residential areas; determine prices of wastewater treatment services appropriate to people's ability to pay, have a roadmap, ensure correct and complete calculation of costs, and ensure attraction and encouragement of socialized capital in investment in construction and operation of centralized wastewater treatment works.
+ Review local technical regulations related to wastewater, research and promulgate local technical regulations on wastewater with stricter regulations than QCVN.
5. Recommendations
The MONRE requests ministries, sectors and local authorities, based on their assigned functions and tasks, to develop and implement plans, and report results to the MONRE for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister.
Recommend to the Government and National Assembly to consider, authorize the development and submission for approval of the National target program on pollution remediation and environment improvement, which includes investment in construction and operation of centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems, especially in craft villages, urban areas, and concentrated residential areas.
Trần Thị Ngọc Linh
Northern Sub-Department of Environmental Pollution Control,
Department of Environmental Pollution Control
(Source: The article was published on the Environment Magazine by English No. II/2024)
