Business
Fall in Red River alluvial deposits could hit farmers
- V
Jun 18, 2011 / 12:12 PM
The Hanoitmes - Alluvial deposits in Hong (Red) River have reduced over the past several years which could result in unexpected environmental changes, experts have warned.
The Hanoitmes - Alluvial deposits in Hong (Red) River have reduced over the past several years which could result in unexpected environmental changes, experts have warned.
Trinh Xuan Hoang, head of the
From 1988 to 2008, the amount of mud and sand in Son Tay town, 42km away from central
Dr Dao Trong Tu, former Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Rivers Network, said although alluvium didn't play a vital role in agricultural production in this region as it did in the Cuu Long (
For example, shrimp or fish that had become accustomed to living in muddy water might have problems with clear water, he said. Moreover, a shortage of alluvium could lead to massive changes in the environment and break the ecological balance.
Experts said that all of the country's hydroelectric power plants were equipped with flood gates which trapped large amounts of stagnant alluvium. There have been no effective measures taken to return the alluvium to the river.
A lack of specific figures on alluvium in
A redesign of flood gates at hydro-electric power plants along the river would temporarily improve the situation, Hoang said.
Re-examination of the effects of hydro-electric power plants on the rives and establishment of more measuring stations could help automatically update data on alluvium and other elements in the water, he said.
Based on the results, more drastic measures could be developed to improve the situation.
However, alarms have been raised over pollution in the river since 2009. Since then, more than 104 species of fish have been impacted by poor water quality, notably moi co (clupanodon thrissa) and chay (tenualosa) fish which are listed as rare species in
