Quickly clarify the cause of mass fish deaths on Vinh River

(Baonghean) - In recent days, the phenomenon of mass fish deaths on Vinh River has caused people to worry and panic. The pollution of Vinh River not only affects the livelihoods of fishermen on the river but also directly affects the source of domestic water and causes environmental pollution in residential areas.

Over 50 years old, Mr. Doan Van Vinh in Block 2, Trung Do Ward, Vinh City has been fishing for decades. The main area of ​​activity for him and his father is the Vinh River, from Ba to Ben Thuy to Cua Tien Bridge. Every day, with a small boat, regardless of rain or shine, the father and son row the boat to cast nets, fishing on the river, the steady flow of fish has become one of the family's main sources of income. But in recent days, fishing has been forced to stop because of dead fish floating on the river. On the morning of March 3, after a while of casting nets but with no results, the father and son sadly rowed the boat along the river, using a net to collect dead fish, cleaning up the river surface. Grass carp, bighead carp, common carp and even tilapia as big as a hand died, their bellies white, giving off a foul smell, floating on the water surface, mixed in with layers of water hyacinth.

Mr. Vinh confided that because he was so heartbroken, the father and son used a net to gather the dead fish in one place, but no one dared to take them home because they did not understand the cause of death. "It's a pity and a pity to think about it. We spread our nets all day just hoping to catch a few fish like this. Now the fish are dead all over the river, but we don't know what to do. For the past few days, we have not caught any fish. They must have all died," Mr. Vinh said sadly. Below the Black Bridge in Trung Do Ward, some other people also brought their fishing rods, but because the river water smelled bad, the dead fish floated lazily on the surface of the water and began to decompose, they had to take their fishing rods back. While using his hand to cover his nose and winding his fishing line, Mr. Nguyen Duc Manh said that normally, the Vinh River is a quite interesting place to go fishing, the water flows slowly, there are many fish, but for the past few days, the fish have died in large numbers, they have not eaten the bait they dropped while the stench is very unpleasant.

Mr. Doan Van Vinh collects dead and decomposed fish on Vinh River.

Following some fishermen rowing their boats and casting nets on the Vinh River, we went down to Ba Ra Ben Thuy. Right at the foot of the culvert, mixed in with the water hyacinth were plastic bags, trash and dead fish that had begun to decompose. Next to them, hundreds of other fish were also floating sluggishly on the water surface. Mr. Bui Xuan Lan (Block 2, Trung Do Ward), who has spent many years growing vegetables and raising chickens near the Vinh River in the Ba Ra Ben Thuy area, said that a few days ago, the whole stretch of the river was covered in dead fish, but then Ba Ra Ben Thuy opened the gates to regulate the water, and the fish all followed the flow into the Lam River. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen so many dead fish. The reason for the fish deaths is that the river is seriously polluted, the water is pitch black, smells bad, and trash and dead animals are all over the river. We can no longer use the river water for washing and daily activities like before,” Mr. Lan said indignantly.

Mr. Le Dinh Nam, Head of Ba Ra Ben Thuy Station, who has 20 years of experience working with the Vinh River at the end of its source, said that the Vinh River plays an important role, providing irrigation water for agriculture and domestic water for the people of Vinh City. The river flows from Nam Dan, through many different residential areas, of which the section from Cua Tien Bridge to the downstream of Ba Ra Ben Thuy is the most seriously polluted. "If Ba Ra does not open the sluice for about 10 days, fish will immediately die because the water source is polluted from upstream, accumulating at the foot of Ba Ra. If the sluice is opened continuously, there will be a water shortage, and the irrigation pumping stations on the river will not have enough water to pump to serve the people," said Mr. Nam. According to Mr. Nam's analysis, the reason why the Vinh River section flowing through Cua Nam, Vinh Tan, Trung Do wards and Hung Loi commune (Vinh City) is polluted is due to poor awareness of the people. Residential areas along the river often dump garbage, waste and domestic wastewater into the river. This is the cause of serious pollution of the river.

The garbage collection point is located right on the riverbank.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Huan, Chairman of Trung Do Ward People's Committee, said that 2 years ago, the Vinh River also experienced a mass fish death like the past few days. This not only affected the lives of the people because of the strong stench, but also caused suspicion among the people, many people guessed and did not understand how polluted the Vinh River was. "The government and the people really hope that the competent authorities and scientists will investigate and clarify the cause of the pollution, assess the level of pollution as well as the consequences of pollution on this river," said Mr. Huan.

It is known that when the unusual fish deaths on the river were discovered, the Vinh City People's Committee requested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to coordinate with communes and wards along the river to inspect and review the entire system of discharge gates and culverts along the river. Mr. Le Quoc Hong, Vice Chairman of the Vinh City People's Committee, said that up to this point, no agencies, factories or enterprises have been found to discharge waste directly into the Vinh River. Because the polluted area is located at the end of the source, while the river flows through many residential areas inside and outside Vinh City, it is not possible to conclude the cause of the fish deaths nor to determine the main pollution point.

According to our observations, along the Vinh River from the foot of Ba to Ben Thuy, upstream towards Cua Tien in Vinh Tan ward, there are many concentrated garbage dumps. The garbage is piled right on the riverbank, overflowing to the edge with black water, just a little rain and everything is washed straight into the river…

Article and photos:Thuy Linh