Investigating Sources of Surface Water Pollution in Dau Sau Canal, Can Tho City, Vietnam

Can Tho city is an economic, cultural and educational center of the Mekong Delta, along with the rapid industrialization and modernization. This can have a negative impact on the environment because of the rapid increase in waste and wastewater. This study aims to investigate the source of surface water pollution in Dau Sau canal, An Binh ward, Ninh Kieu district, Can Tho city through interviewing 30 households and measuring the indicators of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water environment. The study results showed that pH and EC were in the allowable threshold. DO was lower than the permitted threshold of QCVN 08: 2015/BTNMT, column A1 at all three sampling locations. This indicates that the water environment had signs of organic pollution. The sources of waste generation into the water environment are mainly waste, wastewater from residential areas (51%), in addition to other causes such as waste, wastewater from production and trading activities (27%), waste and wastewater from markets (22%). The current situation of domestic waste management and the people's awareness of environmental protection is not good due to the situation of indiscriminate rubbish in the canals. Wastewater from households using stilt houses is directly discharged to the canal. The results of the current study suggested that there is need to construct waste (solid waste and wastewater) collection and treatment systems in the study area to solve the environmental concerns. Raising community awareness of the residents in the protection of surface water is essential. Besides, the law enforcement in environmental protection should also be given proper attention.