Five Environmental Problems Affecting Vietnam - Report Example

Five Environmental Problems Affecting Vietnam While Vietnam has been confronted with several issues of risks concerning the country’s of economy and political system, its cumulative troubles with the environment are equivalently appalling. Vietnam has hugely struggled with ecological imbalance, unsanitary living, and poor quality of health due chiefly to – (1) the problematic industry of aquaculture; (2) devastation of forests by aggressive human exploitation; (3) environmental damage brought by the mid-20th century war; (4) air pollution; as well as (5) the rigid challenges of treating urban and industrial wastes. Investigating the degree of ill impact made by these yet unsettled environmental issues on Vietnamese people, it would become essential to treat the studies and assessment thereof with enthusiastic regard. Impacts on the Environment Through the research conducted by David Dean on the aquaculture of Vietnam, the rapid growth in the production of shrimp, catfish, and lobster is reported to generate detrimental consequences both to the general ecosystem and to humans who take advantage of its resources. As such, aqua-cultural methods bring about nutrient loading of the so-called “grow-out” system in which the food leftovers of the aquatic creatures accumulate in the water causing turbidity, eutrophication, and sedimentation. Hazardous levels of dissolved phosphorus and nitrogen from excrements as well as the pharmaceutical and chemical substances used for developing aquaculture further pollute the body of water and are taken in by the fish which, by food chain, are eaten by men.1 Additionally, when fish become stressed through grow-out settings in an aquaculture, disease and parasites emerge in transmission [1] Dean, David. “Aquaculture in Vietnam: From Small-Scale Integration to Intensive Production.” 2012. Web. 22 Oct 2012. http://envstudies.brown.edu/theses/archive20102011/DavidDeanThesis.pdf between organisms and those that escape inefficient net operations threaten to reduce genetic diversity. Because intensive farming is carried out in culturing shrimp, lobster, and catfish, the clearing of natural habits such as mangrove forests is designed to establish more farms and meet the demands of production in vast numbers. This, nevertheless, has led eventually to the salinization of aquifers and soils, making the freshwater reserves more saline and thus, not conducive for use in crops, human consumption, and certain industrial functions as they suffer from low freshwater quality and amount. The exploitative approach of deforestation constitutes another issue which designates Vietnam at the height of environmental calamity. According to Do Thanh Hai of the Forest Protection and Management Division, “The illegal exploitation of forests is most common in natural forests, nature reserves and national parks in northern Dien Bien, Bac Kan, Yen Bai, and Lang Son provinces.” There were about 2,400 reported illegal cases of timber trafficking which indicates how substantial the rate of deforestation is as executed by poachers who have had the backing of some local residents despite the presence of the opposing indigenous minorities.2 Like the rest of the world that has encountered the undesirable impact of denuding forests, Vietnam similarly experiences how the negative aspects of the practice reflect in unhealthy soil composition and lower capacity to resist floods and runoffs that erode soils to abnormal extent. It would take the Vietnamese a great deal of having to remedy global warming since massive logging implies higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, given that only a few number of trees are available to absorb of such gases as carbon dioxide (CO2) to sustain their photosynthetic requirements. [2] VIETNAMNET BRIDGE. “Vietnam: Forest Destruction Due to Rampant Exploitation.” Forest Carbon ASIA. 14 Nov 2011. Web. 22 Oct 2012. http://www.forestcarbonasia.org/in-the-media/vietnam-deforestation-due-to-rampant-illegal-forest-exploitation/. Moreover, the environmental ruins of the Indochina war during the period 1962 – 71 left Vietnam with haunting perils of radiation and defoliants employed by military forces. The aftermath of war yielded mutations and birth defects of the modern times along with barren lands that lay waste and may be used no longer for agricultural cultivation due to long-term effects of bombing and spraying of severely concentrated herbicides over the 1/7th portion of South Vietnam. Back then, the impact of the U.S.-governed war explosions and extensive defoliation by Agent Orange were leaching of nutrients and expedite occurrence of soil erosion.3 On this ground, it may be readily inferred that deforestation and associated acts could not go on any further as such would only aggravate the current manifestations of war-inflicted environment. Through the findings of the American journalist, Elizabeth Kemf, Kemf confesses: “More forests have been lost in Vietnam since the US/Vietnam war ended in 1975 than during it – Because of post-war lumbering operations (the rebuilding of 10 million homes, schools, hospitals, roads and irrigation systems), the relentless collection of firewood, forest fires and centuries-old methods of slash-and-burn agriculture, Vietnam loses around 200,000 hectares of forest each year – Some 40% of the country is now considered wasteland.”4 Air pollution in Vietnam, being evaluated as among the world’s worst cases of atmospheric contamination, serves as the fourth environmental issue which needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency. Tuoi Tre reports that “Smoke and dust created by trucks are the main factors leading to the decline in air quality in Vietnam, especially in major cities [3] Kiernan, Mike. “The Environmental Impact of the Vietnam War.” MOTHER EARTH NEWS. 2012. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/vietnam-war-zmaz72soztak.aspx. [4] GLW. “Vietnam: War and the Environment.” 14 Jul 1993. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/6044. like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh” via EPI (Environmental Performance Index) survey. Vietnam’s atmosphere which is heavily polluted with noxious gases, carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulates, as well as basic aromatic compounds is found to have brought about health deterioration.5 Besides acquisition of respiratory diseases and altered psychological conditions, thousands of Vietnamese have died after long exposure to dangerous levels of air pollutants. Other organisms of the ecosystem are also affected as their biological systems weaken upon absorption or natural diffusion of contaminated air-borne molecules whereas building structures corrode via the acid rain produced by chemical reaction of air pollutants with the precipitated water. From very recent, Vietnam’s pace in terms of urbanization and industrialization depicts enhanced growth in the nation’s economy yet this drastic change entails an ordeal of treating wastes which increase in direct proportion to the continuous development of industries and urban areas. It is estimated that Vietnam generates waste quantities that exceed 15 million tons originating from commercial establishments, domestic units, municipalities, hospitals, and manufacturing firms.6 Existing treatment facilities are assessed to demonstrate inefficiencies and limited potentials to cover the work of diminishing at least the environmental impact of combined wastes. Hence, this fifth concern regarding the must for adequate waste management in the midst of rising economic competitiveness calls for another serious attention. When untreated wastes build up, human lives and environment fall on an enormous risk of obtaining illnesses made by the possible spread of disease and lack of [5] Vietnam Pollution Threatens Health.” Radio Free Asia. 1 Apr 2009. Web. 27 Oct 2012. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/pollution-04012009110733.html. [6] Solid Waste, Vietnam Environment Monitor 2004. “Effective Waste Management for Vietnam.” 13 Apr 2010. Web. 25 Oct 2012. http://www.waste-viet.com/en/waste-management-vt/. proper sanitation especially among the poor. Proposed Solutions / Remedies Pertinent environmental agencies (government and non-government) account for recycling of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and other wastewater nutrients into useful feed supplements and fertilizers. This way, loading of nutrients in an aquaculture may be monitored in order for the aquatic environment to remain in equilibrium with the materials that sustain it. Through pervasive adoption of anaerobic bio-digesters, methane gas may be derived from high percentage of carbon wastes. At anytime, concerned citizens of Vietnam may opt to complain or bring to public notice any poachers / illegal loggers caught in the act. Though no significant efforts have been documented in reference to nationwide protest against deforestation, the Vietnamese may consider engaging more into campaigns that are ‘pro’ to conservation and preservation of forests. They can also think about being actively engaged in tree-planting activities at feasible regions of the country. Large companies that require timber as the main working component or raw material of their business must be encouraged to seek other alternatives so as to minimize the frequent cutting down of trees. By the Article 5 of the Land Law of Vietnam (1993), land users are provided the opportunity to make investments on improving reclaimed wastelands.7 People who possess the land may then decide to take the necessary measures of employing labor force and scientific or technological means of finding resolution to cure the barren land and restore [7] Anson, Binh Ph.D. “Feasibility Study on Vietnam Land Management System.” Land Law of Vietnam 1993. Oct 1993. Web. 25 Oct 2012. http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/luat/english/Law-land-law.txt. economic productivity in it. Majority of Vietnamese civilians have sought protection from polluted air by wearing gas masks whereas some others take the initiative of riding vehicles free of belching smokes or those that meet standard emissions. Taking advantage of the popular media, the people of Vietnam attempt to direct the government’s attention toward enforcing the use of cleaner fuels and sanction for motorists who stray from compliance herein. Works Cited Dean, David. “Aquaculture in Vietnam: From Small-Scale Integration to Intensive Production.” 2012. Web. 22 Oct 2012. http://envstudies.brown.edu/theses/archive20102011/DavidDeanThesis.pdf. VIETNAMNET BRIDGE. “Vietnam: Forest Destruction Due to Rampant Exploitation.” Forest Carbon ASIA. 14 Nov 2011. Web. 22 Oct 2012. http://www.forestcarbonasia.org/in-the-media/vietnam-deforestation-due-to-rampant-illegal-forest-exploitation/. Kiernan, Mike. “The Environmental Impact of the Vietnam War.” MOTHER EARTH NEWS. 2012. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-community/vietnam-war-zmaz72soztak.aspx. GLW. “Vietnam: War and the Environment.” 14 Jul 1993. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/6044. Tre, Tuoi. “Vietnam Air Pollution Among the Worst in the World.” 2 May 2012. Web. 23 Oct 2012. http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/features/vietnam-air-pollution-among-the-worst-in-the-world-1.70439. Solid Waste, Vietnam Environment Monitor 2004. “Effective Waste Management for Vietnam.” 13 Apr 2010. Web. 25 Oct 2012. http://www.waste-viet.com/en/waste-management-vt/. Anson, Binh Ph.D. “Feasibility Study on Vietnam Land Management System.” Land Law of Vietnam 1993. Oct 1993. Web. 25 Oct 2012. http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/luat/english/Law-land-law.txt. “Vietnam Pollution Threatens Health.” Radio Free Asia. 1 Apr 2009. Web. 27 Oct 2012. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/pollution-04012009110733.html. Read More