Nguyễn Lân, Ha Noi’s former Chief Architect,
speaks to the newspaper Kinh tế & Đô thị (Economic and Urban Affairs) about
some of the measures needed to keep the capital clean and green. Do you think
the cleaning and renovation project in West Lake will have a positive impact on
the environment? I couldn’t agree more. I want to list the five most important
issues: First, the building of a lakeside walk has helped prevent illegal
encroachment into the lake. Many households and developers living close to the
lake have nurtured the idea of illicitly expanding their land to add value to
their real estate. If the embankment and lakeside walk had not been built, I’m
pretty sure West Lake would soon have become a pond. Second, trees and flower
tree planting along the lake will add aesthetic value. It also offers more
recreation places for people and their children. Third, the large lake will
help make the environment cleaner and improve people’s living conditions. Fourth,
the beautiful scenery is well preserved – a special place right in the capital
city. And finally, it becomes an attractive venue for foreign tourists to
stroll around the lake when they are in town. In your opinion, are projects to
renovate rivers and lakes in Ha Noi similar to those in other countries? I just
want to say Ha Noi’s rivers and lakes are all poetic. So are those of other
countries. All countries, including Viet Nam, have developed plans to utilise
their beautiful scenery for recreational activities to attract local people and
foreigners. But in our own case, we have faced many challenges, particularly
the problem of illegal land encroachment, littering and waste dumping. With
proper conservation and investment programs, we can earn quite a lot of money
from these places. Ha Noi has initiated quite a few projects to renovate its
rivers and lakes. But some only appear on paper. Do you know why? I have to
admit that Ha Noi has invested quite a lot of money in dredging rivers and
lakes. But due to poor environmental awareness, many rivers and lakes have
become seriously contaminated. We all know the cost of keeping the surface
water clean is high. So is the technology and expertise in this field. This has
been a headache for Ha Noi authorities. In my opinion, all the people should
join in protecting the environment, stop throwing waste into the lakes and onto
sidewalks, and stop using the sidewalks for selling activities. What measures
do you suggest to improve the situation? I don’t think the problem can be
solved in one day. It requires a long-term strategy. Many people have complained
that dredging rivers and lakes is very costly and does not generate any return.
This is very wrong. Once the lakes and rivers’ water quality is improved, no
doubt it will add value to the city’s aesthetics and increase the number of
tourists to Ha Noi. Of course, in the course of preserving the rivers and
lakes, we need the participation of people from all walks of life. In addition,
we should launch campaigns to raise people’s awareness to environmental
protection, particularly people living on the riversides and next to the lakes.
I’m pretty sure that when people and authorities are on the same page, lakes
and rivers in the capital city will be clean – a good place for everyone to
take a stroll after a hard work day, a place for children to play and an
attractive destination for tourists.
Viet
Nam News p6 – April 21 - http://vietnamnews.vn/opinion/375003/lakes-and-rivers-are-the-green-lungs-of-ha-noi.html#RxJI1iZ82VupqsKm.99
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