Hanoi lakes get clean-up to contain diarrhoea

08/04/2008 -- 3:00 PM

Hanoi (VNA) – The Department of Transport and Public Works is to begin cleaning Hanoi’s Linh Quang Lake following a spate of recent acute diarrhoea cases in the city. The Hanoi People’s Committee on April 7 called for 30 lakes in the capital to be cleaned. Officials said the lakes were contaminated with untreated sewage and refuse from nearby markets. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, there are 110 lakes in Hanoi. Only 13 lakes are not contaminated with untreated sewage, officials said, adding that all the lakes in the capital posed a serious health risk. Following the People’s Committee announcement, some 100 vendors in Van Chuong Market, close to Linh Quang Lake, will have to close their shops. According to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, water in the lake, which has a surface area of 10,000 sq.m, is contaminated with the vibrio cholera bacterium and other potentially harmful bacteria. There have been 105 reported cases of acute diarrhoea in Dong Da district. Seven were diagnosed with cholera – six of them lived near Linh Quang Lake. Nguyen Dinh Huan, chairman of Van Chuong ward, said he had temporarily closed 15 local restaurants due to substandard health and safety conditions. The chairman added that low-quality temporary housing in the area would also be demolished in a bid to improve environmental conditions around the lake. Huan also said that 2,000 local people had been inoculated against cholera and that health conditions in the district would be closely monitored. Linh Quang Lake has reportedly not been cleaned for more than 40 years. Adding to the problem is the fact that there is no adequate sewerage system in the area. The lake has been treated with more than a tonne of chloramine B. New outbreaks of acute diarrhoea are still being reported in Hanoi , Hai Phong and Ha Tay province. The Ministry of Health said 78 percent of cases were among people aged between 20 and 29 who often eat in roadside restaurants where hygiene standards are poor. There have been three diarrhoea epidemics in the country since October last year. The first outbreak lasted from October to early December and affected 2,000 people – 295 of whom were diagnosed with cholera. The second epidemic in Hanoi lasted from December 24 to early February.-Enditem
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