ENV

News Brief (E187, 14th - 20th Oct, 2006)

Arsenic in Hanoi water
Hanoi – Dr. Tran Hong Con, Head of Chemical Technology at the University of Natural Science (Hanoi National University) has released a report on arsenic pollution levels in Hanoi.

According to his study, which has been running since 1998, about 30% of surveyed wells in Hanoi had arsenic levels above 0.05mg/liter, and 50% of the wells were above 0.01mg/liter, which is the official safe limit in water.

The results showed that out of eight underground water stations that supply Hanoi, only three stations were not polluted with arsenic.  Southern sections of the city had much greater pollution than in northern parts of Hanoi.  Thanh Tri district had the highest levels of arsenic pollution in water.

(Trang web www.tuoitre.com.vn ngày 18/10/2006)

Updates from ENV’s Wildlife Crime Hotline 1800 1522

Dong Xuan Market Shop-owners Agree Not to Sell Wildlife
Efforts to shut down the illegal sale of wildlife at Hanoi’s Dong Xuan Market have shown early signs of success after market inspections during the past week failed to record the presence of any wildlife.

The initiative was part of a campaign organized in August by ENV, the Dong Xuan Market Management Board, and Hanoi Forest Protection Branch that involved raising awareness amongst shop owners and market inspectors and securing commitments by the shop owners not to sell wildlife.  Most importantly, the shop-owner commitments were linked to ongoing market monitoring and aggressive enforcement action aimed at preventing a resurgence of illegal activity. 

Dong Xuan market shop keepers must pass market monitoring inspections and maintain their commitment not to sell wildlife for six months before being awarded “Wildlife Friendly Business Awards” by ENV. 

(Education for Nature-Vietnam, Wildlife Crimes Monitoring Unit, October 20, 2006)

Traffic police find civets and snakes on motorcycle
Binh Dinh – On the 16th of October, Phu My district police stopped a motorcycle driver for not wearing a helmet.  While inspecting the driver’s license, police discovered a container with 11 civets and six snakes.  The driver was arrested for illegally transporting wildlife and the animals were given to Phu My district FPD, but four civets were already dead.  Phu My FPD released all the surviving animals into the local forest.

(Education for Nature – Vietnam; Phu My district FPD; Binh Dinh provincial FPD)

Photograph of the week

Shop-owners in Dong Xuan Market have been openly selling wildlife for many years, including species that are critically endangered and protected under Vietnamese law. Source: Education for Nature - Vietnam

Links to environmental articles (Vietnamese)

Hospital waste threatens surrounding environment
http://www.thiennhienmoitruong.com/apm/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1876

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to spend 6.4 billion on environmental protection in 2007
http://www.monre.gov.vn/monreNet/default.aspx?tabid=210&ItemID=17955

Protecting the environment from the ship dismantling business
http://www.monre.gov.vn/monreNet/default.aspx?tabid=209&ItemID=18072

For more information, please contact:

Nguyen Thi Phuong Ngan
Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
No.2/C5 tap the Dai hoc Ngoai Thuong, pho Chua Lang, Ha Noi.
Tel/Fax: 04-775 3685
Email: env@fpt.vn or communication.env@fpt.vn