Immediately after the Hanoi government agreed to implement an emergency construction project to supplement water from Red River to To Lich River through building a pipeline from the sluice gate through the dyke along Vo Chi Cong Street to deliver water to the head of To Lich River at the Hoang Quoc Viet Street sluice gate, relevant units are actively carrying out the work.
According to a representative from Tay Ho District, immediately following the directives from Hanoi Chairman Tran Sy Thanh, the district studied an interim solution to utilise treated wastewater from the West Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant through an intermediate reservoir, Sen Lake, before transferring water from West Lake to To Lich River.
Initially, wastewater from around the West Lake area will be collected and treated at the plant, after which the water passes through filter tanks and continues to flow into Sen Lake for settlement. Water samples will then be monitored and tested to ensure quality before being channelled into West Lake.
For the long term, the Hanoi Department of Construction, in coordination with Tay Ho District, is reviewing relevant planning to propose solutions for supplementing water from Red River to To Lich River along Vo Chi Cong Street, connecting with the immediate water supplementation phase already underway, ensuring both water supplementation to To Lich River and stable regulation of West Lake water levels.
The solution proposed by the Department of Construction is to build a 1.2-metre diameter pipeline approximately 5.3 km long, drawing water from Red River and running through the dyke along Vo Chi Cong Street to feed directly into To Lich River at the Hoang Quoc Viet junction; simultaneously, installing connection points along the route to deliver water to Dam Bay for treatment before discharge into West Lake.
This is assessed as the best solution, allowing immediate construction without land clearance requirements and without affecting the implementation of the West Lake Management Planning Project by Tay Ho District as the pipeline would be positioned along existing transport corridors.
According to a representative from the Hanoi Department of Construction, the comprehensive environmental improvement scheme for four rivers — To Lich, Kim Nguu, Lu, and Set — has been developed and is currently being finalised.
Notably, given the serious pollution of To Lich River, priority has been given to river cleaning solutions linked with landscape improvement and urban renovation related to To Lich River, including multiple work groups such as architectural landscape renovation on both riverbanks to create scenic corridors. The embankment along the river will be covered with greenery to create multi-level spaces combined with renovation and lighting.
Regarding water sources discharged into To Lich River, the Hanoi Department of Construction, the Management Board for Technical Infrastructure and Agricultural Projects and the Hanoi Drainage Company have reviewed discharge outlets following construction of the pipeline system and manholes collecting wastewater along both sides of the river to the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Plant and confirmed approximately 80 discharge outlets still lack drainage systems and separate wastewater collection chambers.
Recently, Hanoi Chairman Tran Sy Thanh assigned the Management Board for Technical Infrastructure and Agricultural Projects, in coordination with the Department of Construction, to supplement the sewage collection system to thoroughly collect wastewater from both sides of To Lich River to the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Plant and to study the construction of weirs on To Lich River.
He also assigned the Department of Construction, in coordination with Hanoi Drainage Company, to immediately implement comprehensive dredging of To Lich River, which is to be substantially completed by August 2025.
