Canal water turns blood red due to paint residue

Locals at the Nam Dam Hamlet on Sunday saw the water of the Nang Am canal turning red.

The contaminated water flowed out of several pipes in the local sewers, spreading hundreds of meters. People first suspected that the water must have come from factories at the nearby industrial area.

Tran Thanh Tiep, head of the Nam Dam Hamlet, said the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment found out that the red water came from the pipes of a facility that buys used paint cans, before washing and reselling them. At the point of the department’s inspection, the facility still has paint cans whose colors match with the color of the water in the canal.

“The facility owner has promised not to let the paint water get to the canal again,” Tiep said, adding that factories in the area had previously committed not to discharge wastewater into the environment.

The Nang Am canal, spanning 1.8 km, is surrounded by hundreds of families living in the area. Over 20 of them raise shrimps for a living, and use the water in the canal for production.

Discharging wastewater into the environment can result in a fine of up to VND1 billion ($39,331) for individuals, and VND2 billion for organizations, according to Vietnamese regulations.