Students clean Bai Chay beach in Ha Long City in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Waste discharges have been blamed for 70 per cent of marine pollution off the nation's coasts. – VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Dan

Hoang Nhat Thong, who has been researching this problem for the department, said that coastal areas were in significant environmental duress due to the socio-economic activities on land.

About 6.5 million tonnes of toxic chemical substances, 1.6 million tonnes of oil and 47,000 tonnes of heavy metal pollute the sea from shore, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-funded Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Branch, which is currently planning a global action programme to protect the marine environment.

Discharge from the mainland has ruined large swaths of seawater. In some places, the water has turned red, green, or turbid, degrading marine ecosystems and coastal fisheries, according to Thong.

The "hot spots" of coastal pollution are located in northern Quang Ninh Province, Hai Phong City, central Da Nang City, Quang Nam Province, southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and HCMC, according to UNEP representatives.

Thong said most of the discharge came from 28 provinces and cities along the coast, which has a population of nearly 44 million people, as well as 55 million tourists each year.

Moreover, landfills along rivers and beaches had no wastewater treatment facilities, so dirty water goes straight into the ocean.

The problem was compounded by the significant amount of waste from the 18 marine economic zones, 500 industrial parks and clusters and thousands of other industrial manufacturing facilities along the coast.

Every year, an estimated nine river systems with a total basin area of 10,000 sq.km pour 880 cubic kilometres of water into the sea, containing 250 million tonnes of mud and sand and a large amount of organic substances, nutrients, heavy metals and pesticides from farmland.

Transport and medical facilities and seaports also contribute significant waste.

Limiting this discharge, Thong said, was an urgent task for the nation. In his view, the first solution was to improve the system of laws and policies governing the area and help institutions dedicated to environmental protection.

Nguyen Van Cu, head of the Viet Nam Sea and Island General Administration, also emphasised the need to bring the situation under control. He suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies create a national plan for managing marine pollution, including a strategic environmental impact assessment. He added that the ministry should work with localities to minimise marine pollution and enhance public awareness about protecting the ocean.

The country should also devote adequate resources to controlling hazardous waste from the mainland in order to reduce waste discharged into coastal areas, he said, adding that the task would benefit from international support.

(VNS)