The fast-growing tourist development coupled with thousands of fishing vessels operating off its coast has resulted in large amounts of rubbish being dumped into the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay.

According to the Ha Long City Management Board of Public Service, around two tonnes of litter is collected by bay cleaners on a daily basis. The majority of the refuse is found near the shore, having been dumped into the water via sewer pipes or by fishing vessels operating near the coast.

Meanwhile, tourism boats rarely confirm to environmental regulations and dump rubbish at sea.

A report of the Ha Long Bay Management Board also showed that in some highly populated areas such as Cam Pha City, Hoanh Bo and Van Don districts and Quang Yen Town, have no waste water treatment plant. This means that the waste water goes directly from residential quarters into Ha Long Bay without any treatment.

Ha Long Bay currently employs a team of four rubbish-collecting boats tasked with cleaning up eight kilometres of coastline including areas as far as 700 metres from the shore. However, the force remains thin compared to the huge amount of rubbish dumped into the bay every day.

The road from Ha Long 1 Market to Cot 8 area is covered is always covered in litter despite Ha Long City authorities’ contract with a waste treatment firm. Nearly 530 tonnes of waste so far this year has been collected on the road.

dtinews