The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment conducted two studies using samples taken from wells in Lam Dong including the districts of Da Teh, Don Duong, Da Huoai, Duc Trong and Dam Rong.
In the first study, 700 samples were taken from 70 communes.
Four percent of the samples were found to have high levels of arsenic, exceeding permissible levels.
In the second study, 950 samples were taken from 19 of the communes in the first study that had at least one sample containing high levels of arsenic.
The tests showed 6 percent of these samples had unsafe levels of the element.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said most residents living in the districts where the studies were conducted used the contaminated groundwater for daily activities.
Some families filtered the water before consuming it, but the methods used failed to remove the arsenic as tests revealed that levels of the substance remained unchanged before and after filtering, the department said.
To effectively remove the arsenic, residents should build water filtration pools and fill pool bottoms with gold sand and pebbles, the department advised.
Such pools can help eliminate 90 percent of arsenic in water.
The Lam Dong People’s Committee has urged district governments to extend the clean water supply network to residents in areas where arsenic contamination is an issue.
The provincial administration has also encouraged local governments to call on private investors to help provide clean water to affected areas.
Continuous consumption of arsenic-contaminated water can lead to a host of negative health effects including cancer and diabetes and diseases related to the bladder, kidneys, lungs and liver.
Reported by Gia Binh |
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