Hanoi’s iconic lakes need urgent clean-up help
One sunny morning in October 2016, Hanoi residents living around the city’s West Lake woke up to a foul and irritating smell. “We could not bear the overwhelming smell,” Ms Huong, a local resident said, wearing a mask while inside her home. “But we have nowhere to go.” The local government subsequently reported that it had collected up to 200 tonnes of dead fish in the lake in one week. The fish had died from a lack of oxygen due to extreme water pollution. As the pollution levels have reached critical levels in the city lakes, the question on the minds of many local residents is: “What can be done, and who will do it?” According to the Center for Environment and Community Research, Hanoi has about 120 lakes which provide many environmental benefits including regulating urban floods and providing quiet spaces for relaxation and exercise for the city’s residents.
