Environmentalists warn recent prolonged flooding in northern Quang Ninh Province has washed tonnes of coal dust and metal into Halong Bay, threatening its fragile ecosystem.
Hoa Chat Stream, which runs from the Thanh Cong coal mine through Ha Khanh Ward of Halong City is ink black.
Heavy rains washed a lot of coal from the mine to lower ground, where many local residents have recovered tonnes of coal a day from the stream, and are making up to millions of VND.
Tailings and stockpiles are washing into several streams feeding Cua Luc River, which is next to Ha Long Bay.
Coal heavy water from Ha Tu and Nui Beo coal mines is pouring into Lo Phong Stream before flowing into mangroves close to the Halong Bay.
Dang Huy Hau, vice chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, said that flooding washed a lot of mud and coal into streams. Local authorities are struggling to deal with resulting environmental issues.
Nguyen Dinh Hue, from Vietnam National University-Hanoi, said coal washed into the Halong Bay would cover several areas along the shore, affecting the aesthetics of the bay and damaging it's ecosystem.
Lo Phong Stream carries coal and mud to Halong Bay
Floodwaters have been found to be contaminated with zinc, arsenic, selenium and mangan.
Nguyen Huu Huan, from the Institute of Oceanography under the Academy of Science and Technology of Vietnam, said the Halong Bay boasts not only special landscape, geological and geomophlogical values, but has unique biodiversity.
Recent research showed that Halong Bay receives about 25m cubic metres of household wastewater, more than 100m cubic metres of coal wastewater and runoff from local farms each year. Sediment is accumulating along the shorelines and the latest bout of flooding has worsened the situation.