Japan to help Hanoi clean up To Lich River

Photo: Vietnamnet

Hanoi will receive Japanese support to clean up the polluted To Lich River.

“Our experts from Japan will place some bionanotechnology equipment at the bottom of the river to clean up the water, and significant results will be seen after three days,” Dr. Tadashi Yamamura, a UN expert on the environment and Chairman of the Japan Environment - Trade Promotion Organization, told a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 11 in Hanoi. Surveys of the river’s pollution have been carried out by Japanese environmental experts over the last two years.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Phuc said that Vietnam is particularly concerned about the environment, which has become a major problem during the country’s development. Vietnam and Japan, he went on, are strategic partners with a strong relationship in various fields, including the environment.

The Prime Minister welcomed a proposal regarding free funding to pilot the treatment of water pollution in a section of the To Lich River and a corner of West Lake with new technology, saying it is an idea that may help Vietnam strengthen environmental protection during industrialization and modernization. He also expressed his appreciation of help from the Japanese Government in calling for funding.

He proposed that Japanese experts, the Japan Vietnam Environment Improvement JSC (JVE), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), and the Hanoi People’s Committee work together to compile plans and undertake the clean-up.

The successful treatment of water pollution in the To Lich River and West Lake will provide a good example for subsequent cases of pollution. After implementation, MoNRE will review the process and report to the Prime Minister.

Japanese bionanotechnology equipment has a super processing treatment speed, Dr. Yamamura said, and the bad smell will be dramatically cut after just three days.

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