A 1.28 million USD project to clean up Hoan Kiem Lake, home of rare giant turtle before it died two years ago, is started by Hanoi this week.
This project is expected to finish before 7th February, one week before Lunar New Year, the biggest festival in Vietnam. 57,000 cubic meters of mud was tasked for a public drainage firm.
Hanoi Sewage and Drainage Ltd. stated that his studies had found “serious contamination” in the lake, which is home to aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish.
The surveys revealed very high levels of Coliform and E. coli, while toxic gases and metals were detected in the lake bed, it said.
The complete project will take place at night starting at 9pm. until 5 a. m. and from midnight on weekends.
A landfill site which located 13 kilometers away from city center was prepared to treat the mug take form Hoan Kiem Lake. Then fresh group water will be add to rise the level of water inside the lake, which currently experiences significant drops in oxygen levels at certain times of the day, the sewage company said.
The center lake covering 12 hectares and is the most popular area of Hanoi. In January last year, a are giant turtle and the last one live in this lake died. The turtle, known as Cu Rua, or big-large turtle, appeared emerging several times due to lack of oxygen in the water before its death.
Hoan Kiem was named after a legend that says a golden turtle god showed up in the lake to take back the sword it had given to King Le Loi in the 15th century to help him fight Chinese invaders.
According to Hanoi’s Environment and Community Research Center, 25 of 112 lakes in Hanoi were polluted due to uncontrolled waste and sewage discharged by both families and businesses.