The Environment Protection Committee of the Dong Nai River Basin has asked 11 provinces in the river basin to impose heavy fines on those polluting the river.
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| A farmer picks up dead fish in the Cai River, a tributary of the Dong Nai River that is now heavily polluted |
The Environment Protection Committee of the Dong Nai River Basin has asked 11 provinces in the river basin to impose heavy fines on those polluting the river.
Pollution in the Dong Nai River basin is worsening in some places due to the low awareness of producers, according to the committee.
The discharge of untreated industrial wastewater into the river is the main cause of pollution. Upstream forest destruction by hydropower projects, mineral mining and craft villages have affected the ecological balance in the basin.
Despite playing an important role in the economic development of the 11 provinces in the southern region, the Dong Nai River is under the pressure of severe pollution with around 500,000 cubic meters of wastewater discharged from some 60 industrial parks and over one million cubic meters of wastewater from urban areas each day.
Therefore, it is urgent to protect the water resource to ensure supply for over 15 million people in the basin, including HCMC, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong, Long An, Dak Nong, Ninh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The committee has also asked these localities to accelerate the progress of urban wastewater treatment projects.
It will also focus on monitoring the implementation of major environmental projects in 11 provinces this year.
(Source: SGT)
