Tons of fish die en masse in HCMC canal and lakes after unseasonal rain

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Fish deaths rose by an estimated six tons in one day

According to The Saigon Times, some 14 tons of fish were found dead in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal in HCMC after non-seasonal rain hit the city on April 2 and 4, with the employees of the HCMC Urban Environment Co. Ltd. still collecting dead fish from the canal even until April 5.

A representative of the firm said that the amount of dead fish, mainly tilapia and carp, collected on April 3 and 4 was some eight tons, while fish deaths rose by an estimated six tons on April 5.

Dead fish, coupled with the garbage, stank up the canal’s section from Le Van Sy Bridge in District 3 to Bridge No. 1 in Tan Binh District on April 4.

Dead fish seen floating in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal in HCMC after non-seasonal rain – PHOTO: VNA

Many eateries and restaurants along the canal had to suspend their operations due to the unpleasant smell, while the residents there were forced to keep their doors shut.

However, the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal isn’t the only place where dead fish were found after the heavy rains. They were also found in several lakes in HCMC, as reported by Vn Express.

On Monday morning, personnel of the An Lac Ward People’s Committee managed to remove around 500 kg of dead fish from a 5,000-square-meter lake near the Ehome 3 residential area of Binh Tan District.

Nguyen Huy Hoang, who lives in an apartment block in the area, said the fish had died en masse following a heavy rain two nights earlier.

"My house is located near the top of the building, and yet the stench was unbearable. The other night, the wind brought the smell in and it was impossible to sleep," he said.

A man retrieves swathes of dead fish in a lake in Binh Tan District, HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van.

The thing that has never happened in such large numbers

To Hoang Giang, chairman of the An Lac Ward People’s Committee, said the lake has been around for nearly a decade and is privately owned as part of the district’s park. Fish dying inside the lake isn’t a rare occurrence, but it has never happened in such large numbers, he said.

Le Ton Cuong, deputy head of the HCMC Sub-Department of Fisheries, told Phap Luat Online that fish deaths in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe Canal had been occurring for many years. One of the causes was the dirty water, which led to a lack of oxygen for the fish.

Echoing the view, Vo Thi Mong Thu, head of the subdepartment, told Tuoi Tre Online that after the downpour, garbage and polluted water from the sewers washed into the canal and covered the surface, reducing the oxygen content in the water. This was one of the reasons for the mass fish deaths, she said.

"We are looking for a way to reduce the fish population and treat the water to prevent such situations in the future," she said.

The dead fish collected – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC is no stranger to the phenomenon of fish dying after heavy rains, especially at the beginning of the year. In 2016, around 70 tons of dead fish were found in the Nhieu Loc Canal, prompting authorities to use 20 tons of chemicals to treat the water.

The Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal runs more than eight kilometers through District 3 and Tan Binh, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh districts. The city spent around a decade and more than US$390 million, including funding from the World Bank, to bring it back from a stinky, dirty canal several years ago, Thanhnien News reported.

Dead fish collected from the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal in the afternoon May 17, 2016. Photos: Duc TIen/Thanh Nien

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