Communities to protect lake environment

15/09/2015

     On November 13-14, 2013, a new model on doing exercises combined with protecting lake environments was launched for the first time in Hanoi with participation of the People's Committee of Thanh Nhan and Ngoc Khanh communes, the veteran’s organization and inhabitants of the communes who live around Thanh Nhan and Ngoc Khanh lakes.   Ngoc Khanh lake        According to Hanoi’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, this is a new model originating from the real demand of the community to improve health and awareness on environmental protection of Hanoi lakes. To implement this pilot model, Hanoi’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment coordinated with the Institute of Water Resources and Environment, people's committees and veteran’s organizations of Thanh Nhan and Ngoc Khanh communes conducted surveys and installed at each lake an exercise machine (including tools to make movements by hands and feet) and a filter-bed. The exercise machine is integrated with a pump to pump lake water into the filter-bed. When exercisers use the machine, their movements will run the pump.      The aim of this model is to create an integrated tool to meet two demand of the community. The first one is to create a clean, green and nice environment around the lakes and the second is the demand for practicing sports. Participants in this model can both improve their health and directly treat the quality of the lake water and at the same time save energy or energy costs to pump lake water into the treatment systems. The new model contributes to improving the awareness of people living and working by the lakes of environmental protection tasks and raising their responsibilities to change behaviors and bad habits that could affect the lake environment.   Source: VEN