Proposing Solutions for West Lake Ecosystem Management

3.3.4. Proposed solutions for West Lake ecosystem management

a. Orientation of solutions for protection, management, exploitation and reasonable use

a1. Long-term solution

1. Strictly implement the law on environmental protection (Circular 43/2011/TT-BTNMT dated December 12, 2011) and the decisions of Hanoi (Decision 92/2009/QD - Hanoi People's Committee, dated August 19, 2009 on protection and management of West Lake). Thoroughly grasp the guiding ideology of the City and Tay Ho District Party Committee.

2. Speed up the construction of the West Lake wastewater treatment plant in the Bay lagoon area (near the Water Park).

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3. Develop and protect trees, periodically dredge the belt around West Lake and build a West Lake environmental monitoring station.

4. Consider dividing West Lake into different areas such as strictly protected areas, adjacent areas, and areas permitted for exploitation and use, with attention paid to only allowing development activities in the adjacent areas. Between these areas, design appropriate separation measures to handle pollutants.

a2. Immediate solutions

1. Controlled fish farming.

2. Dredging solid waste and mud around the lake shore and collecting garbage around West Lake.

3. Plant aquatic plants around West Lake to prevent illegal fishing, especially angling. Consider using water hyacinth to treat wastewater in the lake.

4. Strengthen security forces and order around West Lake, complete lighting systems and technical infrastructure around West Lake.

5. Consider moving restaurants and floating houses to more suitable areas.

a3. Specific solutions

1. Control the inflow and outflow of the lake

Upgrade and complete the water supply and drainage system for West Lake. Collect all wastewater sources and send them to the wastewater treatment plant before returning the water to the lake. Wastewater must not be discharged directly into the lake without treatment. Manage the discharge.

wastewater directly from restaurants into the lake.

2. Water pollution treatment by biological control methods

Aquatic plant growing solutions: Some aquatic plants such as lotus, water lily, water fern, hair fern, rough fern... in shallow water areas and suitable bottom, sewers with wastewater flowing into the lake.

Microbial pollution treatment solution to improve odor and improve living conditions for aquatic species in the lake.

3. Solutions to improve sludge quality

Currently, the mud layer in West Lake is very thick (average 1m, up to 2m in some places) and many areas accumulate a large amount of waste. Therefore, the treatment of the bottom of West Lake is really necessary. The work of dredging the bottom mud of the lake has a positive aspect of increasing the depth of the lake, increasing the self-cleaning ability of the lake water, but if all the bottom mud is dredged, it will lose the source of benthic organisms, which are organic decomposers in the mineralization process, balancing the environment and ecology of the sediment layer and water mass in the lake ecosystem.

b. Regional planning

b1. Master plan

- Carry out detailed and scientific planning for the exploitation and socio-economic development of West Lake space on the basis of ensuring the preservation and maintenance of traditional cultural works with the construction and expansion of new modern, harmonious economic, social and residential works, combined with convenient, reasonable and beautiful green belts and roads in the area. At the same time, there are measures to ensure that the planning is effectively implemented in practice during the exploitation and socio-economic development of West Lake space.

- Facilities, production, business, services must build and treat waste in their production facilities. This requires a relatively large amount of investment capital in treatment equipment, waste, clean technology purification... For the project about to be implemented in the West Lake area. That is, it is necessary to consider and forecast the environmental consequences of construction projects around the West Lake area. What problems will the implementation of the project cause to the lives of residents in the project area, to the efficiency of the project?

consequences of the project itself and of other development activities in the area. It is then necessary to identify measures to minimize negative impacts on the environment of the West Lake area.

- There are strict administrative sanctions against individuals and organizations that have encroached on the lake surface to build houses and open shops, and at the same time, the encroached area must be reclaimed.

- Reduce population pressure on the areas around the lake. This is the criterion that must be given top priority in the goal of developing West Lake in the future to match the carrying capacity of the environment around the lake. With an overpopulation density, the West Lake environment is under excessive population pressure. The only solution to reduce population pressure is to reduce the number of people living around the lake. Especially in areas like Yen Phu or in Trich Sai, Thuy Khue, try to keep open areas as wide as Nhat Tan, Xuan La adjacent to Lac Long Quan street.

b2. Reasonable use planning

Exploitation and use of aquatic resources: Maintain and develop aquaculture and exploitation in West Lake in a reasonable manner.

Ecotourism, cultural tourism and resort: West Lake and its surrounding areas have favorable conditions for developing ecotourism. Typical traditional ecosystems such as lake ecosystems, flower gardens (Phu Thuong, Nhat Tan, Quang Ba), ornamental plants (Quang Ba, Yen Phu), ornamental fish farming (Nghi Tam, Yen Phu). Ranked historical and cultural sites, traditional craft villages (Buoi Do paper, Ngu Xa bronze casting village), this type of tourism activity is on the rise. In addition, the peaceful scenery and fresh air are the basis for forming resorts.

Recreational sports: West Lake's water surface can be used for boat racing, yachting, windsurfing, high-speed boats, swimming, fishing. On the lake shore and in the vicinity, sports clubs (table tennis, tennis, golf practice...), casinos, and dance halls can be developed.

Research, education: With diverse ecosystems and biomes, with a long history

Historical - cultural - social, West Lake and its vicinity can be a place for research, sightseeing, and internship in fields such as: Limnology, Hydrology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Aquatic culture, environment, History...

This leads to the need for measures to ensure that water, soil and other physical environments are maintained at their best on a regular basis.

c. Solutions for socio-economic and cultural development c1. Socio-economic solutions

1. Carry out detailed and scientific planning for the exploitation and socio-economic development of West Lake space on the basis of ensuring the preservation and maintenance of traditional cultural works with the construction and expansion of new, modern, harmonious economic, social and residential works, combined with convenient, reasonable and beautiful green belts and roads in the area. At the same time, take measures to ensure that the planning is effectively implemented in practice during the exploitation and socio-economic development of West Lake space.

2. Production, business and service establishments must build and treat waste in their production establishments. Environmental tax is imposed on production and business activities in the West Lake area. This measure aims to implement the principle of "The polluter must pay the price" and "Pay for consumption". Currently, many restaurants, hotels... benefit from the environment of West Lake. The fresh air and beautiful landscape create favorable conditions for them to do business, but no one has paid for consumption of this "natural capital". Therefore, environmental tax is imposed based on the level of pollution caused by these establishments. Experience in many countries shows that taxes on activities that cause environmental pollution need to be higher than the necessary costs to solve the pollution problem, in order to force production and business establishments to promote the development of anti-pollution techniques.

3. Strict administrative sanctions must be imposed on individuals and organizations that have encroached on the lake surface to build houses and open shops, and the encroached area must be reclaimed.

4. Adjust industrial facilities around the lake to differentiate solutions (move elsewhere; there are regulations with strict conditions) to solve the sources

polluting. Prohibit the construction of new polluting production facilities.

5. Reduce population pressure on the areas surrounding the lake. This is a target that must be given top priority in the future development goals of West Lake to match the carrying capacity of the environment surrounding the lake.

6. Improve the quality of infrastructure for people living in the area around the lake: The goal of sustainable development is to improve the quality of life for people on the basis of long-term use of resources. Therefore, there is a need for infrastructure development plans to improve the quality of life for people living in the area around the lake.

7. Raise public awareness and promote the role of people in protecting the environment of the West Lake area. There needs to be extensive propaganda about the cultural, economic and social potential of the West Lake area, as well as propaganda about the impact of the West Lake area's environment on the environment of the entire capital. This propaganda work can be built into a program on radio, television, and newspapers. Or drafted into flyers and leaflets distributed to people living and working around the lake as well as tourists coming to the lake.

Disseminate environmental laws widely to students, organizations and people around the lake, managers have extracurricular talks with students about the importance of the ecological environment, the current state of the West Lake landscape and the cultural, economic and social values of the West Lake area for the development of the capital. As well as the role of students in protecting the natural environment of this area.

It is necessary to organize the social community to participate in and protect the environment of West Lake and improve the effectiveness of local authorities in this work. Urban activities are the movement of a complex entity, so in addition to increasingly perfecting laws, community participation from awareness to inspection, development and protection is a factor that has been determined even in modern cities of developed countries. Here, people know, people discuss, people inspect.

8. Mobilize people around the lake to limit the use of pesticides to limit their presence in the soil and some of them being washed into the lake, polluting the lake water.

c2. Cultural solutions

Currently, there are still many historical relics and scenic spots around the lake. The preservation and upgrading of these relics and scenic spots needs to be specifically mentioned and have large investment from the State combined with the contribution of the people to perfect festivals that are both national and modern.

The preservation and development of traditional craft villages, flower villages, ornamental plants, and ornamental fish. The landscape environment of traditional craft villages must be consistent with the detailed planning of West Lake, which must be clarified and specific policies must be in place: Conservation occupations, conservation plans, solutions for people regarding funding, and vocational training to preserve these craft villages. This is a characteristic of the lake area that attracts tourists.

In residential areas that are engaged in farming in the Lake area, no toxic pesticides should be used to avoid polluting the lake water. Traditional flower villages around the lake need to be preserved and developed in harmony with the modern planning of exploitation and development of the West Lake space in terms of science and society.

Based on the areas approved by the Government, establish modern entertainment industry projects such as (Aquarium, slide, swimming pool, water park, tennis court, etc.). Open more tourist routes by electric car, boat on the lakeside and underwater belt. Call for investment from domestic and foreign economic sectors to enhance the existing advantages of the whole area, contributing to protecting the sustainable environment of the area.

Financial resources are collected from fees, service business fines, etc. After deducting according to regulations, the remaining amount is used to reinvest, upgrade infrastructure and manage the exploitation and protection of the environmental landscape in the West Lake area.

Establish a West Lake Lovers Club and consider establishing a branch to protect the West Lake environment.

d. Solution for building and using Ho Tay database management program

Building a database management software for Ho Tay. From there, it helps managers grasp the entire problem and update information as quickly as possible. On that basis, advise the leaders of the District People's Committee on practical measures and reasonable overall planning solutions.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. CONCLUSION

 West Lake plays a very important role and position in the cultural life and historical traditions of the capital Hanoi. West Lake and the surrounding area form a whole with increasingly great potential for developing scenic tourism areas. Protecting the environment of West Lake is a necessary and urgent task that requires the cooperation of the people and the city government.

 The functions and values of West Lake are very diverse and important in the development of the capital; however, these functions are being seriously degraded due to solid and liquid waste pollution; the exploitation and utilization of West Lake is increasing, the protection and maintenance issues are not commensurate with those values and functions.

 The flora and fauna in West Lake are quite rich and diverse, which is a potential basis for developing aquaculture and exploitation of aquatic products. However, this potential is facing the risk of decline in both quantity and quality due to increasingly polluted water sources. Most environmental indicators exceed the permissible limits.

 The urban development process in Tay Ho District in particular and the capital in general is increasingly strong, West Lake has to bear more and more pressure in handling and collecting waste and adverse factors.

B. RECOMMENDATIONS

 Strengthen management and control of direct discharge into the lake, research suitable discharge options.

 Regularly monitor the environmental quality of West Lake and issue early warnings in case pollution becomes serious.

 Apply treatment measures, especially biological measures to clean lake water while preserving ecosystem functions.

 Restore and preserve historical relics to develop services, tourism and culture.

 Maintain traditional environmentally friendly craft villages in the West Lake area such as flower, ornamental plant and ornamental fish growing villages to develop ecological landscapes.

 Develop strategies and action plans to conserve West Lake and put them into practice soon.

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