Announcing the list of 10 villages with heavily polluted water sources

According to the project "Investigation and search for hygienic water sources to supply domestic water for some "cancer villages" in Vietnam", drinking and domestic water sources in 37 "cancer villages" are all heavily polluted.

People in Thong Nhat village (Hanoi) mainly use water from drilled wells, however the water source is not guaranteed because the Nhue River running around the village is highly contaminated with arsenic - Photo: Nguyen Khanh

The above project was implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and has completed phase 1, waiting for superiors to review phase 2.

1,136 people died

10 "cancer villages" with the most polluted water sources

1. Thong Nhat Village, Dong Lo Commune, Ung Hoa District, Hanoi City.

2. Lung Vy Village, Dong Phuong Yen Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi City.

3. Man Xa village, Van Mon commune, Yen Phong district, Bac Ninh province.

4. Tho Vy village, Te Thang commune, Nong Cong district, Thanh Hoa province.

5. Yen Lao village, Hoang Tay commune, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province.

6. Co Do Village, Dien Hai Commune, Dien Chau District, Nghe An Province.

7. An Loc village, An Loc commune, Loc Ha district, Ha Tinh province.

8. Phuoc Thien Village, Binh Hai Commune, Binh Son District, Quang Ngai Province.

9. Xuan Vinh village, Hoai My commune, Hoai Nhon district, Binh Dinh province.

10. Me Pu Village, Me Pu Commune, Duc Linh District, Binh Thuan Province.

Source: project "Investigation and search for hygienic water sources to supply domestic water for some "cancer villages" in Vietnam".

According to engineer Nguyen Luu - head of the Central Water Resources Planning and Investigation Federation (QH&ĐTTTNN), based in Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa) - the project does not have any conclusions about the causes of cancer, but only investigates and evaluates the current status of the water sources that people are using to find clean water sources to supply to the people...

Dr. Ho Minh Tho - Deputy Head of the Central Region Federation of Rural Development and Investment, project manager - said that the 37 "cancer villages" investigated and surveyed were spread across many places in 22 provinces and cities across the country.

The results of the investigation and survey in the communes of 37 “cancer villages” showed that 1,136 people died from cancer. In addition, 380 people in neighboring communes also died from cancer. The number of people who died from cancer mentioned above is calculated in the past 5-20 years, according to Dr. Tho, and that is the data provided by local health agencies.

The place with the most cancer deaths was 139 people, that was Thach Khe village, Thach Son commune, Lam Thao district (Phu Tho). In the village, there were at least six deaths.

“Cancer pain” has fallen on thousands of families. There is a household in Co Do village, Dien Hai commune, Dien Chau district (Nghe An), when investigated, there were up to five people with cancer and three of them died.

People waiting for clean water

Dr. Ho Minh Tho said: "Through the project's investigation and survey, the most common point is that the water sources that people are using in those villages are all polluted, with indicators exceeding the permitted levels according to Vietnam's water standards."

In phase 1, investigators and surveyors collected and analyzed 814 water samples taken from rivers, streams, wells... that people are using in 37 "cancer villages".

These water samples all have pollution levels exceeding the permissible standards (TCCP). Specifically, more than 80% of microbiological analysis results exceed TCCP, more than 65% of contamination analysis results exceed TCCP, and more than 30% of samples have total iron content exceeding TCCP.

Regarding the composition of water, according to the results of comprehensive and trace analysis, 50 collected water samples contained aluminum, cadmium, benzene, bentazone, phenol, arsenic, and manganese exceeding the TCCP.

The number of samples with trace elements higher than TCCP is concentrated in the "cancer villages": Thach Khe, Zone 8-11, Dong Mai, Thong Nhat, Yen Lao, Yen Phong, Kim Thanh, An Loc, An Tho, Xuyen Tay, Dai An, Phuoc Thien, An Hoa, Nhon Loc 2, Xuan Vinh, Son Nghiep, Van Dang, Dak Mar, Village 4, Trung Hiep, Nhon Hau 1 and Kenh Tu Ga.

According to Dr. Ho Minh Tho, to find a clean water source to replace the polluted water sources in those "cancer villages", phase 2 of the project must be carried out.

Dr. Tho said: “We have identified and recommended that it is necessary to continue investigating and providing domestic water in the next phase for the 10 “cancer villages” whose current water sources are the most heavily polluted.” If funding is available, the remaining villages also need to invest in finding clean water sources, Dr. Tho added.

However, finding clean water sources for residents of "cancer villages" is still in the project report submitted to superiors, with no response yet.

According to Tuoi Tre