IMPACTS OF SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ON THE WATER QUALITY OF CAU RIVER IN SOC SON DISTRICT, HA NOI

STUDENT THESIS of VIETNAM FORESTRY UNIVERSITY_Natural Resources Management _Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management : IMPACTS OF SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ON THE WATER QUALITY OF CAU RIVER IN SOC SON DISTRICT, HA NOI

A MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

VIETNAM FORESTRY UNIVERSITY

Advanced Education Program

Developed in Collaboration with Colorado State University, USA

Supervisor: MSc Nguyen Thi Bich Hao

Hanoi, November 2014

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

For each student, the graduate thesis is an important step to evaluate the fourth-year

course of the study at university and the first step to become familiar with research work

With the consent of the Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management-

Vietnam Forestry University, and the guidance of Msc Nguyen Thi Bich Hao, I chose the

topic “The impacts of social - economic development activities on the water quality of

Cau River flowing through Soc Son District, Ha Noi "

With the efforts of myself, the enthusiastic guidance of teachers, the invaluable

help of friends, and the supports of local authorities at the study area, so far I have

completed this thesis

On this occasion, I would like to say thanks to Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Hao who has

directly instructed me to implement this thesis; a special thank goes to Dr Professor Lee

MacDonald of Colorado State University, USA- for introducing me in writing the thesis;

thanks to Ms Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich – an officer of the Center of Laboratory practices of

Forestry University, who has helped and guided me in the process of sample analysis

In addition, I also would like to say thanks to the teachers of the Department of Faculty of

Forest Resources and Environmental Management and the authorities of communes and

districts in the study area that have provided me support and helps in the process of

completing the thesis

Sincerely!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 3

2.1 Goals 3

2.2 Specific Objectives 3

3 METHODS 4

3.1 Field investigation method 4

3.1.1 Preliminary investigations of study area 4

3.1.2 Interviewing method 4

3.2 Assessment of Cau River water quality 5

3.2.1 Analysis Indicators 5

3.2.2 Sampling locations and sites 5

3.2.3 Tools and sampling methods 7

3.2.4 Analysis Methods 8

3.2.5 Comparative assessment method 10

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 13

4.1 Research results on the status of Cau River water quality 13

4.2 Impacts of socio- economic development activities on Cau River water quality 17

4.2.1 The situation of using Cau River water 17

4.2.2 Living customs 18

4.2.3 Types of socio- economic development activities 19

4.2.4 Awareness of local people on environmental protection and Cau River water quality protection 24

4.3 Solutions to improve Cau River water quality 24

4.3.1 Solutions about pollution sources 24

4.3.2 Socio-economic development solutions to improve Cau River water quality 25

4.3.3 Recommendations 27

5 CONCLUSIONS 28

6 REFERENCES 29

APPENDIX

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1: Location of Cau river water sampled at some points 6

Table 3.2: Table on the limits of water quality indicators 11

Table 4.1: Analysis results of the determined indicators on Cau River water 13

Table 4.2: Amount of fertilizers used in the study area in 2013 20

Table 4.3: The impacts of waste on aquaculture and agriculture activities 21

Table 4.4: The number of cattle and poultry in each village 22

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1: Map of the study area 2

Figure 3.1: Map of sampling sites 7

Figure 4.1: Analytical result of TSS 15

Figure 4.2: Analytical results of TDS 15

Figure 4.3: Analytical results of DO 16

Figure 4.4: Analytical result of BOD5 16

Figure 4.5: Analytical results of COD 17

Figure 4.6: Garbage at riverbank 18

Figure 4.7: Diagram of wastewater in breeding activity 19

ABSTRACT

Degrading river water quality is a currently urgent issue which affects all aspects of

human life In Vietnam, this situation is happening in almost all rivers In the North, being

one of various great river systems which play important roles in socio – economic

development, Cau River is not an exception To assess impacts of socio – economic

activities on Cau River water in the section flowing through Soc Son District of Ha Noi,

the thesis applied various research methods such as: field investigation method, assessing

Cau River water quality of by some indicators, and methods of data processing The

research results show that river water- is severely polluted by several activities such as

exploiting, fishing, breeding, and cultivating It is shown by the analytical results of some

water quality indicators Almost all analytical results of DO, BOD5, COD, and TSS at four sampling sites are higher than the standards Sand and gravel exploiting, breeding, fishing,

cultivating, and living habits are major socio – economic development activities that

contribute to the degradation of Cau River water quality in the study area The analytical

results show that exploiting and breeding activities are main causes leading to the pollution

of the river In addition, cultivating also affects Cau River water quality due to over-use of

fertilizers and plant protection chemicals To contribute to improve the quality of the river

water the thesis proposes some solutions such as controlling the volume of fertilizers and

some socio- economic solutions

1 INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, mankind has recognized that water resources are particularly important

The value of water is assessed as biological blood feeding human body and organisms

However, in recent years, population growth and social- economic development activities

have increased pressure on water resource management In addition, water resources are

becoming increasingly scarce both in quantity and quality

According to the statistics of Stockholm International Water Institute (2006), there

are 2 million tons of domestic waste discharged into rivers and seas on the Earth per day,

and 70% of untreated industrial waste discharged directly to water sources in developing

countries Half of hospitalized patients in the developing countries do not have access to

adequate sanitary conditions Lack of sanitation and lack of clean water are the causes of

death for over 1.6 million children each year The United Nation of Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) have warned that nearly 2 billion people will live in areas of water

scarcity and two thirds of the planet inhabitants can become dehydrated in the next 15

years

Like a number of countries in the world, Vietnam is facing various challenges related

to water resource management To some extent, water quality in the upstream of the rivers

seems quite good However, in the downstream it is getting obviously worse Particularly,

pollution levels usually increase during the dry season when the water volume of the rivers

decreases

The assessment report on water carried out by the Government of Vietnam and

donors in 2009 showed that water pollution could be a major factor hindering

social-economic development in Vietnam This problem will affect 9 million people living along

the river in urban areas and 21 million people in the rural areas

The situation of water pollution in the urban areas of Vietnam is falling into an alarm

situation, most of evident in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City which are two most populated

cities in Vietnam The amount of untreated domestic waste water discharged into surface

water sources per day is increasing in these areas

Cau River is the main river of Thai Binh river system Derived from Van Ong

Mountain, Cau River flows through Don Market (Bac Kan province), Moi Market (Thai

Nguyen province) and enters into Thai Binh rivers at Pha Lai (Hai Duong) Cau River

plays an important role in the socio- economic development of 7 provinces such as Bac

Kan, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Ha Noi, and Hai Duong

In addition, Cau River also plays a very important role in supplying water for

hydropower and other social-economic development activities However, according to

many research results on Cau river water quality in recent years, the pollution level of this

river is increasing and seriously threatening water supply capacity for social- economic

activities of inhabitants depend on this resource

Due to the current status I chose the topic: “Impacts of socio- economic development

activities on the water quality of Cau River in Soc Son District, Ha Noi “with desire to

contribute to protect the environment and improve Cau River water quality in the study

area

Figure 1.1: Map of the study area [16]

2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1.Goals

Through fact-finding, sampling and analyzing on Cau River water quality flowing

through Tan Hung commune of Soc Son district, the thesis aims to figure out:

- Current status of Cau River water quality in Tan Hung commune, Soc Son district;

- Main socio- economic development activities affecting Cau River water quality

2.2 Specific Objectives

- Analyzing and assessing Cau River water quality based on determined indicators; and

comparing with National Technical Regulations to draw some solutions to improve

Cau River water quality in the future

- Evaluating the impacts of socio- economic development activities on Cau River water

quality to find out the causes of polluting Cau River water From which, propose some

solutions to decrease the impacts of socio- economic activities on Cau River water

quality

Because the limitation of time, the thesis is a premise for other research related to the

impacts of socio- economic development activities on Cau River water quality

- Propose solutions to improve the effectivity of water management for Cau River

flowing through Tan Hung commune, Soc Son district as well as all the Cau River

3 METHODS

3.1 Field investigation method

3.1.1 Preliminary investigations of study area

To preliminarily investigate the study area, river sections from upstream to

downstream, where various socio – economic activities are concentrated, have been

selected Consequently, it is surveyed a segment of 7km along Cau River that belongs to

Tan Hung commune of Soc Son district

After the preliminary investigation on the study area, causes have been identified

causes affecting Cau River water quality flowing through Tan Hung commune, Soc Son

The thesis conducted interviews at 5 villages belonging to Tan Hung commune of

Soc Son district including: Ngo Dao, Dao Thuong, Coc Luong, Hieu Chan, and Cam Ha

villages where Cau River flows through

The thesis planned to randomly release 300 questionnaires at five villages Therefore,

60 households have been interviewed at each village

3.2 Assessment of Cau River water quality

3.2.1 Analysis Indicators

Based on the purpose of research and analysis conditions, the thesis choosed the following

indicators to analyze and assess:

- Physical indicators: pH, turbidity, temperature, content of suspended solids (TSS) and

content of dissolved solids (TDS)

- Chemical indicators: DO (Dissolve Oxygen), BOD5 (Biological Oxygen Demand), and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)

3.2.2 Sampling locations and sites

The thesis focused on researching and sampling on Cau River sections flowing through

Tan Hung commune as follows:

- Sampling locations: The locations or sources of pollution, impacting on water quality

(waste, agricultural activities, exploiting activities )

- Sampling sites: There are three sampling sites at each location: middle of the river; 5m

away from the shore; and 1m away from the shore At each site, the thesis took samples

at different depths as follows

 Surface water: Sampling at depths of 10- 20cm

 Water in the middle depth: Sampling at depths follow the current depth

 Bottom-water: Distance from the bottom of 10-15cm

The data of samples is filled into the table 3.1

Note:

[1]: sites of middle = 1; sites of 5m away from the shore = 2; sites of 1m away from the shore = 3

Table 3.1: Location of Cau river water sampled at some positions

1

S 1 M 1 Sand and

gravel exploiting

locations on a monthly basis

Figure 3.1: Map of sampling sites [15]

3.2.3 Tools and sampling methods

Tools and methods used for sampling follows the standards:

 TCVN 6663-1:2011 (ISO 5667-1: 2006) – Water quality- Sampling Part 1: sampling guides and techniques

 TCVN 6663-3:2008 (ISO 5667-3:2003) – Water quality- Sampling Guidelines

of sample preserving and processing

 TCVN 6663-6:2008 (ISO 5667-6:2005) – Water quality - Sampling Sampling guidelines on rivers and streams

- Sampling method

Based on research objectives the thesis selected the method of single sampling It is a

single sample taken from random sampling water As a next step, I mixed the samples of

surface water, middle-water and bottom-water together at each site It became the

combinatorial sampling method

- Sampling tools

Exclusively used sampling tool is Wild with a volume of 2L that can take into

account the different depths and sample bottle containing polymers for transport to the

laboratory After filling the water sample from the sampling equipment into the bottle, it

needs lid in order to avoid changes until analysis especially for DO analysis

- Preserving and transporting of samples

All water samples in bottles have to be cooled at about 4oC and transported the laboratory; pH and temperature indicators are measured directly in the study area Storage

has to be done in cool and dark places, so that; most of the samples are usually durable up

to 24 hours

3.2.4 Analysis Methods

- pH measurement method

pH was measured by litmus paper through comparison of the color of litmus paper with the

color table to determine the pH of water

- Temperature measurement method

Use a thermometer directly at the sampling location and record the results

- Turbidity measurement method

The turbidity of the water samples was measured by fast measuring device as Micro TPI

- Analysis Method of Total Dissolved Solid (TDS)

The total dissolved solid of water was measured by fast measuring device as TDS Meter

- Analysis Method of Suspended Solids (TSS)

Suspended solids SS was calculated by the formula:

V: Sample volume filtered (L)

- Methods for determination of BOD 5

The samples analyzed were considered as very high levels of BOD5, they are diluted

to the appropriate factor before analysis Water used to dilute the oxygen was bubbled to

saturation and the necessary nutrients

After diluting the sample, the value of DO0 at 20oC was measured and then incubated

in a BOD dedicated pocket at 200oC in 5 days Re-measured the value of DO5 after incubating it calculated the value of BOD5 (mg / L) BOD5 value is the value obtained after subtracting the values of BOD5 in the blank sample

BOD 5 = (DO 0 - DO 5 ).f

Where

BOD 5: BOD values after 5 days (mg/L)

DO 0: DO values at 20oC after diluting (mg/L)

DO 5: DO values at 20oC after 5 days incubating at 20oC (mg/L)

3.2.5 Comparative assessment method

The thesis used the following standards of Vietnam to assess the water quality at the study

area:

- QCVN 38:2011/BTNMT: National technical regulation on Surface Water Quality for

protection of aquatic lifes

- QCVN 39:2011/BTNMT: National technical regulation on Water Quality for irrigated

agriculture

- QCVN 40: 2011/BTNMT: National Technical Regulation on Industrial Wastewater

- QCVN 02: 2009/BYT: National technical regulation on domestic water quality

Table 3.2: Table on the limits of water quality indicators

QCVN 38:2011/BTNMT: National technical regulation on Surface Water Quality

for protection of aquatic lives

QCVN 39:2011/BTNMT: National technical regulation on Water Quality for

irrigated agriculture

QCVN 40: 2011/BTNMT: National Technical Regulation on Industrial

Wastewater

- Column A presents the limit values regulation of pollution indicators for the

discharge of industrial wastewater into water sources used for domestic water

supply purposes

- Column B shows the limit values regulation of pollution indicators for the

discharge of industrial wastewater into water sources not used for domestic water

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Research results on the status of Cau River water quality

Through 3 times of analyzing selected indicators during the period from July to October,

the results are shown in Table 03:

Table 4.1: Analysis results of the determined indicators on Cau River water

No Indicators pH Temp

( 0 C)

Turbidity (NTU)

TDS (mg/L)

TSS (mg/L)

DO (mg/L)

BOD5 (mg/l)

COD (mg/L) Name Times Position

- In general, pH and temperature range between the limits for four types of standards

- The analytical results on turbidity show that the values of this indicator are much higher

than the standard of 02:2009/BYT Therefore, this kind of water can not be used for

domestic purposes of local people

Figure 4.1: Analytical results of TSS

With regard to suspended solids (TSS) (figure 4.1), the analytical results show that

while this indicator at position 3 and 5 satisfies the standard of 38:2011/BTNM in all of

the three samples, at position 1 it exceeds the limit in all of the three samples, and, at

position 2 and 4 its values range between below and above limit

Figure 4.2: Analytical results of TDS

38:2011/BTNM

T 39:2011/BTNM

Figure 4.2, shows that each TDS value meets the standards 38:2011/BTNMT and

39:2011/BTNMT

Figure 4.3: Analytical results of DO

For DO (figure 4.3), the analytical results at positions 1, 2, 3, and 5 in all of the three

sample satisfy the standards of 38:2011/BTNMT and 39: 2011/BTNMT Only the value of

DO at position 4 is lower than these standards

Figure 4.4: Analytical result of BOD 5

For BOD5 (figure 4.4), only the value of BOD5 at position 1 is higher than standard 40:2011/BTNMT- National Technical Regulation on Industrial Wastewater Level A and

Level B The other positions are in the range of above standards in general Specifically,

the value of BOD5 at position 1 exceed the standard 40:2011/BTNMT level A 2 times

T 39:2011/BTNM

A 40:2011/BTNMT Level