Lam Minh Triet said the money would be used for research and to upgrade the network of environmental photogrammetry, in which precise measurements taken from photographs of the area are used to make maps.
"It is necessary to coordinate operations among the areas where the river passes," he said. "Punishment should also be sufficiently severe to deter violations that cause pollution of the river."
The head of the province’s Environmental Protection Agency, Hoang Van Thong, said the quality of water from Thi Vai River had declined since 2006.
He said the total volume of waste water discharged into the river was more than 134,000cu.m per day, of which 33,000cu.m was from industrial waste water released by companies located in Dong Nam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces. The rest is from people’s daily use.
"The water from the river can’t support life and can be used only for waterway transportation and aquaculture," he added. "Pollution upstream has spread to 7km out of the total 76km length of the river."
Research findings show that the river’s water quality does not reach the standards for irrigation water, with the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) five times higher than the limit, and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) eight times higher. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is lower than the limit.
Dang Quan