INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT: Other serious concerns in Vietnam today...

Program Features

Sewage & Water Improvement

Garbage, Waste Disposal and Reproduction

Other Infrastructure & Environment Plans

Vietnam is facing a few other serious infrastructural and/or environmental problems in need of immediate remedies - if any. We cannot discuss each subject matter in details due to limited space. We can regretfully admit that as in any other geo-physiological and geological problems, they were caused by prolonged abuses and cannot be undone overnight. Nature takes thousands of years to build, it takes men just a few years to destroy in their reckless pursuit of wealth and power... These problems poses greater challenges in Vietnam due to prolonged neglect, abuses on top of repetitive flooding. For the past 10 years, many residents and businesses have used every thinkable tricks on earth to build, cheat, destroy, burn, and take anything they can from nature. In most cases, they do not realize the consequences to the environment and nature. Some may not even care. The widespread dilemma is reaching an alarming level and that will take an enormous effort to rebuild. We are not experts in these areas but as professionals who care about the future of Vietnam, we will participate and support in any effort by the government and the people at least one step at a time. We will also take active part in education, planning and in the development of prevention and control equipments and materials to deal with these problems wherever and whenever we can.

 Problem No 1: EROSION IN VIETNAM must be taken seriously and bring them under control

(From Vietnam Net) Researchers have warned of strong erosion on coastlines, rivers, mountains throughout Vietnam at different levels from 10 to 25M over just the past 10-15 years. Vietnam’s coast is being eroded at different levels Phan Thiet coastal erosion reported at a speed of 10m per year. Vung Tau suffers the most erosion. Erosion may be attribute of both human and natural factors yet not much have been done to enforce, prevent erosion. Without adequate immediate actions, erosion will threaten our economy and cause unspeakable loss of properties to many.

 Problem No 2:  RISING WATER LEVEL AND SINKING LAND IN RIVER BASINS IN VIETNAM

We are not speaking of the already known rising sea level. Populated areas surrounding water basins are facing a consequence of get-rich-quick urbanization and developments without corresponding infrastructural designs: Soil substructure river basins are sinking because of: (1) Compounding flood (2) Lacking of water escape plans (3) Collapsing underground water and in-ground soil movements. Other contributing causes are (4) Overflow of sewage (5) Illegal sand dredging by business;(6) Clogged water flows with overfilled garbage, sewage, riverbeds' erosion (from pollution)... Some houses in these affected areas will see sinking as a result and streets will be below river water level in less than 20 years.

Overflow river water onto streets

As subsoil structure sinks, houses are flooded at high tide...

>http://www.presscenter.org.vn/en/content/view/3422/89/<Professor Le Van Trung, director of the Geomatics Center, University of Ho Chi Minh City, told a seminar that the pace of land sinking has recently accelerated due to rapid urbanization and unchecked exploitation of underground water areas vulnerable to land-surface subsidence include Thu Duc and Binh Chanh districts, districts 6, 7, and 8 with an average sinking rate of over 10 millimeters a year. Trung spent 18 months to conduct a VND10-billion project using Dynamic Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Insar technology, to detect and measure the ground surface deformation around the city. Some streets such as Kha Van Can, in Thu Duc District, Vinh Loc, Binh Chanh , Ton That Thuyet and Ly Chieu Hoang in District 6 and other areas south of the city have subsided by 0.3 meter since 2000,” he said.>

 Problem No 3:   THE DANGER OF MAN-MADE DETERIORATIONS IN RIVERS, DELTA, SHORELINES from abusive developments and  pollutions

The accumulation of sodium salts, chemicals, and other disruptions of natural habitats by man using rivers, shorelines, basins for abusive agriculture is causing physiological threats to ecosystems. Salt prevents, limits normal metabolism, water, plants and soil biota causing cell plasmolysis. In addition, sodium salts can be both caustic and toxic to organic tissue, destroy soil quality, speed up erosion; In rivers and shorelines, using unsafe bio agents from China to speed up profits from shrimp/fish/salt farming will also weaken our soil, our ecology.

from: ICEM, Vietnam 2004

Satellite image of Mekong Delta

 Problem No 4:   DEFORESTATION FOR VALUABLE WOODS, FARMING, WILD LIFE POACHING...

Satellite photos taken in 2001 thru 2003 showed constant and massive forest burning in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for illegal poaching of valued forestry or for other illegal farming in disregards of the problems such as landslide, flooding, and displacement of wild life. VINAREX will study plans to replant and reintroduce valuable forestry to Vietnam but also seek stronger enforcement by the government. To do so, we can develop and install sensors, monitors, cameras to deter criminals while re-planting forests and set up protective areas to preserve certain forests and wild life.

Forests in Son La burned to the bare ground

Satellite photos discovered many forest fire daily

Issue No 5:   MORE SCIENTIFIC , MODERNIZED AND RESPONSIBLE AQUACULTURE

Aquaculture is great for Vietnam but greed, misinformation, and an endless quest for profit have led men to carry out any means including massive hormone stimulants, bio-chemical, growth stimulants, antibiotics, fertility drugs.... Rivers, oceans are dumping ground for wastes, diseases, dead fish - the same river used by industrial and business as dumping ground too. This type of fishery induces transmutations and genetic changes in other natural species that will lead to displacement nature and new diseases in the environment and in the human food supply. We need to treat nature with more respect. VINAREX will do what we can to introduce more natural, safe, scientific systems without biochemicals and fully tested feeds to protect human, animals and our fragile ecology.

VN fish export to MX banned from fear of  cholera outbreak (10/2010)

Diseases, pollutants or industrial dumping led to dead fish (7/2010)

EROSION CONTROL

Natural Planting

To study, innovate and build simple, least costly means to rebuild our soil, our land, our waterways and our shorelines whenever we can and wherever we can while establishing more effective control measures through education, enforcement and careful planning

Erosions in Vietnam vary from regions to regions due to different weather and soil conditions. We also knew from our observations of the characters and changes in the geological symptoms that a significant percentage is caused by man-made developments and the lacking of planning in urbanization. Erosions are further complicated by the lacking of infrastructure work and the continuous buildings without much corresponding infrastructure plans and in-depth assessment of support structures for the soil. Erosion control can be studied with advanced GIS mapping, satellite imaging combined with other sensor and monitoring systems. However. erosion control must start WHERE THE CAUSES BEGAN and not where these cause ended. These cause are mostly excessive developments by practically everybody from government servants, real estate speculators from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China... If richer people don't feel a sense of urgency or responsibility,  we cannot expect poorer people to care because they have neither the urgency nor the responsibility to live for in their poverty-ridden life.

LAND SINKING and RIVER WATER RISING

Sinking land mass and overflowed water are caused by nature, by excessive building developments and human activities. Climate change adds to the existing problem. While we cannot undo the past but must be careful in the future because some damages may not be recoverable.

Nasa imaging of low sinking land masses:

Geological surveys/mapping

Sinking land may be a warning for our urbanization greed, a lack of planning and a problematic infrastructure...

It is not just naturally caused higher sea level, it is also man-made LAND SINKING in Vietnam. Land sinking has been known for many years in river basins around the World from Bangladesh, Thailand, Shanghai, Italy, Africa to the Mississippi. However, none has the same compounding problems as in Vietnam. Scientists agree that in certain low river basins such as HCM city, Vung Tau, and the Delta, the land is sinking at densely populated area as a result of sediment compaction, empty ground waters (used up by people), soil degradation underground, sediments and river flow problems, flood water with no ways to flow due to bad infrastructure, escape routes plugged up by houses, plugged sewage (due to heavy housing development and no planning) etc. This sinking may be even faster and more damaging than rising sea level. Both Dong Nai and Mekong River basins are vulnerable to flooding at populated areas. We recently have observed the conditions of the areas of Q7, Thanh Da, Binh Quoi of tp HCM etc., houses are now BELOW normal river level and flooding is daily just by raining alone. Soil conditions are also weak due to no conservation efforts and continuous heavy pollutions by people, businesses and industries wherever they want and whenever they want. Further, the way houses are built in VN cities, it is very treacherous to lift... If this situation continues, the remedies are uncertain as options are limited.

>http://www.presscenter.org.vn/en/content/view/3422/89/<Professor Le Van Trung, director of the Geomatics Center, University of Ho Chi Minh City, told a seminar that the pace of land sinking has recently accelerated due to rapid urbanization and unchecked exploitation of underground water areas vulnerable to land-surface subsidence include Thu Duc and Binh Chanh districts, districts 6, 7, and 8 with an average sinking rate of over 10 millimeters a year. Trung spent 18 months to conduct a VND10-billion project using Dynamic Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Insar technology, to detect and measure the ground surface deformation around the city. Some streets such as Kha Van Can, in Thu Duc District, Vinh Loc, Binh Chanh , Ton That Thuyet and Ly Chieu Hoang in District 6 and other areas south of the city have subsided by 0.3 meter since 2000,” he said.>

PROTECT OUR SOIL, SHORELINES

We must learn more about soil science to plan our economic needs responsibly by fully study how we build, what we throw into the ground and what are the consequences to the soil and to others...

Concrete barriers in selected sites

Shoreline protection and planning have not been seriously considered as damages are not often seen except the developments and money being made. For the past 10 years, taking full advantage of development policy of local governments, foreign businesses have pushed developments that never include any stabilization and protection of shorelines by continued to create activities close to water lines for more revenues. We now have to pay for the rebuilding process. However, if we make an effort and know how to engineer, fabricate products using locally available materials, we can slowly rebuild inexpensively using our available labor. VINAREX will participate in the design and fabrication of erosion and beautification projects with local governments so the people can enjoy what is left of our beaches.

REJUVENATE FORESTRY

From poverty and greed, Vietnam's forests became victims of the rich and poor. Vinarex seeks to rebuild, replant, recreate Vietnam forestry with new resources but they must be protected by technology, enforcement and education.

Select, archive and grow all value plants

When overseas importers and businesses learned of the deep forests in Vietnam, the first thing they did was to bribe Vietnamese to clear, burn, chop, steal and smuggle to them for money. Many persons did just that to get rich. Forestry should be viewed as an important function of the entire life cycle for other plants, animals and people. By better planning, better education and by wisely prepare our land resources, we can rebuild more than enough valuable wood to sell yet must also protect the important ecological needs of nature, wildlife and society. VINAREX will advocate intelligent planning and reforestation. Knowing what and where to plant, we can make much better use of our forestry resources and provide great alternatives for those who want to make an honest living.

Issue No 5: PROMOTING SAFE, NATURAL , RESPECTABLE AND SCIENTIFIC AQUACULTURE METHODS IN VIETNAM

This subject matter is complex and cannot be discussed within this site. We will devote another website in the near future solely for the subject of aquaculture in Vietnam. Within the limited space of this chapter, we will summarize only the key issues or problem areas in aquaculture for discussion. Our point is: We can meet the same profit ends without using any Chinese made bio agents and hormone stimulants and at the same time, we must respect nature and process the tons of wastes instead of dumping them all into the rivers and ocean. Aquaculture wastes in our current practices, contains harmful toxins and pathogens that are dangerous for other species and for the health of both the rivers and the people .

RE-INVENT FISHERY

Aquaculture can be  engineered with science and technology that do not abuse nature. Bio-chemicals,  hormone stimulants, growth stimulants, heavy antibiotics, etc must be re-examined and changed. Aquaculture can be done responsibly, safely, naturally and scientifically and still profitable

In-land designs must be least impact on the environment

Feed must use less of natural fish and come from known sources

Fish wastes are filled with toxins, gas, hyper-salinity, acids and must be treated as industrial garbage

Rivers, Ocean use must be carefully studied and self-contained as much as possible

Feed must be free of pathogens, diseases, stimulants and other unknown animal sources

As any industrial wastes, they must be self-contained, discarded and processed as much as possible

We must also develop in-land self-sustained and self-contained systems whenever possible

Only known biological drugs; no bio-chemicals, no stimulants, no genetically engineered drugs

No wastes should be released in to rivers and ocean to respect nature and our natural resources

On-site systems for emergency use, for processing of wastes and other diseased fish

Fish and water must be frequently tested; diseased fish must be properly disposed

As other food manufacturing sites, hygiene  conditions should be preserved and practiced

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