Don't treat the retention pond badly.

GARBAGE, FOUL ODOR...

We arrivedNorth Canal regulating lakeFollowing the new 35m road connecting National Highway 46 with the Lam River embankment, the initial impression is that, having recently been invested in and constructed, the Kenh Bac regulating lake, with its complete infrastructure including management roads, sidewalks, lawns, trees, and lighting, will be beautiful, clean, and airy.

But that positive feeling gradually faded as we explored the entire 53-hectare area of ​​the lake. From the end point connecting to the Rao Dung Canal up to the beginning point connecting to the North Canal, the regulating lake was littered with trash everywhere. Trash was on the surface of the perimeter roads, sidewalks, and lawns. Trash was in the vacant lots surrounding the 53-hectare area. Trash was on the 40-hectare surface of the lake itself.

On the surface of the lake, there is not only trash but also the carcasses of huge domesticated animals. Photo: Nhat Lan

Regarding the diversity of the trash, it's difficult to accurately and completely quantify it. It's a mixture of construction waste, sugarcane pulp and fruit peels from makeshift nighttime food stalls, plastic containers and leftover food and drinks from groups of people who enjoy eating, drinking, and stargazing, and even grass, weeds, and garbage "salvaged" from the lakebed. But most frightening are the animals "released" into the lake. Some are up to a meter long, floating on the surface... From the darkened water and the decomposing animals, a truly terrible stench emanates...

"It seems there's a lack of concern and indifference towards this project worth hundreds of billions of dong..."

The North Canal regulating lake was completed not long ago, but it seems to lack proper management and maintenance. As a result, various types of shrubs and weeds have grown on the lawn, sidewalks, and even along the boundary between the road and the concrete curb. In some sections, grass and shrubs have completely covered the sidewalks, turning them into dumping grounds for waste. Furthermore, there are quite a few "odd" objects scattered haphazardly on the sidewalks and lawns, or "entangled" around the trees, which need care to thrive and provide shade for the lake area. These include tables, chairs, and iron frames – likely tools used by makeshift stalls selling goods at night, tied together with ropes or secured to tree trunks during breaks.

Joining us on our sightseeing tour of the Kenh Bac regulating lake were a few friends. Perhaps also surprised by the scenery, they remarked: "It seems there's a lack of concern and indifference towards this multi-billion dong project..."

The area around the management road is littered with construction waste. Photo: Nhat Lan

FIX MANAGEMENT ERRORS

Concerned about the current state of the Kenh Bac regulating reservoir, we contacted the leaders of the Vinh City People's Committee. We learned that the Kenh Bac regulating reservoir already has a management and operation procedure in place; furthermore, the city has assigned responsibility to the direct management unit, Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company, to strictly implement the management and operation.

The management and operation procedures for the North Canal regulating lake project were issued by the Vinh City People's Committee in Decision No. 3815/QD-UBND, dated July 14, 2020. The environmental sanitation maintenance procedures are as follows: Regular maintenance should be carried out once every 10 days; in exceptional cases, when directed by the City People's Committee or when there are unusual signs that could potentially cause environmental pollution, maintenance should be done once a day. Regarding operational procedures, the requirements are: Use boats and other means, rakes and other tools; remove floating weeds, garbage, and debris from the lake surface; remove debris from the lake's inlet and outlet gates and dispose of it properly. Use bamboo, bamboo poles, or floating ropes at the sluice gates, discharge points, and along the embankment slopes to facilitate the collection of floating weeds and debris and reduce the work area. Pick up garbage, grass, trees, and animals from the lake slopes, management roads, and sidewalks. Use rakes and nets to collect weeds and trash around the drainage inlets and load them onto collection trucks (trash here includes household waste, natural debris, and construction waste piles at or below 0.2m).³Regarding quality requirements: The lake's surface must be free of weeds, trash, and waste; the drainage outlets must be clean and allow for unobstructed water flow; and all collected trash and waste must be transported to the designated location within the day.

Various types of boxes, plastic bags, and leftover food and drinks are scattered all over the grass and embankment. Photo: Nhat Lan

"When we asked, the operations managers always reported that everything was being done according to requirements. Doing it this way is disastrous..."

By comparing the regulations mentioned above, we have presented the current situation.Trash, weeds, and pollution in the North Canal regulating lake.We contacted Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company. Based on the images recorded on April 23, 2021, the company's leadership proactively accepted responsibility. According to this leader, after the Vinh City People's Committee issued Decision No. 3815/QD-UBND, the company had deployed personnel to carry out management and operation work. “Yet when we asked, the management and operation staff always reported that they were fulfilling the requirements. Doing things this way is disastrous…” the representative said. He also contacted a person named Ngoc, requesting an urgent investigation and immediate resolution of the existing issues…

Although the Vinh Urban Infrastructure Management and Development Joint Stock Company accepts responsibility, the actual condition of the Kenh Bac regulating lake also reflects the role and responsibility of relevant departments and units in Vinh City, as well as the People's Committees of Hung Loc and Hung Hoa communes. To ensure the Kenh Bac regulating lake is well-maintained and protected, thereby maximizing its potential, Decision No. 3815/QD-UBND of the Vinh City People's Committee not only assigned responsibility to the operating management unit. Specifically, the People's Committees of Hung Loc and Hung Hoa communes were tasked with "organizing inspections and strictly handling cases of violations affecting environmental sanitation and technical infrastructure in the area...". Similarly, the Vinh City Green Park Joint Stock Company is responsible for maintaining trees and lawns. The occurrence of indiscriminate waste dumping, or the locking of trees along with "foreign objects," clearly shows their responsibility!

Items from makeshift food stalls are locked up alongside greenery. Photo: Nhat Lan

INCREASING COMMUNITY AWARENESS

At the Kênh Bắc regulating lake area, a rare bright spot is the presence of signboards with content and images calling on the community to join hands in protecting the environment.

Upon investigation, we discovered that the signs with the inspiring message, "Waste is our own doing. Disposing of waste properly is civilized," were created by a group of volunteers. These individuals, seeing the immeasurable benefits the lake provides to the community, yet witnessing a segment of the population's indifference to environmental protection and their direct involvement in littering, decided to take action. They encouraged the creation of slogans and drawings with relatable, relatable environmental messages; they voluntarily contributed money to print, frame, and display them in easily visible locations. Their hope was to encourage the community to work together to protect the lake's environment through concrete actions, such as refraining from littering the lake and its surrounding infrastructure.

Reading the content of the slogans, it's clear that the target audience of these volunteers is very accurate. Because the "culprits" of construction waste, sugarcane pulp, fruit peels, plastic boxes and bags, leftover food and drinks, dead pets floating in the lake, etc., are none other than a segment of the population in Vinh City that still lacks environmental awareness.

Signs calling on the community to work together to protect the environment are displayed around the retention pond area. Photo: Nhat Lan

The unit assigned to manage and operate the reservoir will have to rectify the errors; relevant departments, units, and the authorities of Hung Loc and Hung Hoa communes will have to get involved more actively. But that is still not enough. Because if there are still individuals in the community who lack awareness and remain "indifferent and insensitive," the landscape of the Kenh Bac reservoir area will continue to be negatively impacted, and thus, it will be very difficult to end the environmental pollution.