Vietnamese Partners

Hanoi University of Science: Centre of Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development

 

A long-term education and research partnership has been established between the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and the Hanoi University of Science. Capacity building is accomplished by applied research projects in environmental chemistry and environmental engineering, as well as in pilot-scale and scaling-up studies for enhancing drinking water quality. Senior Vietnamese researchers and graduated students are educated in project planning and performing research including a strong emphasis on analytical quality control and elaborate data interpretation.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater and drinking water in Vietnam was discovered in 1998 within this capacity building program [1]. This finding has led to manifold studies, such as

• research on arsenic removal options [2]

• investigating the levels and state of human arsenic exposure [3]

• development of a low-cost biosensor for arsenic analysis [4]

• elucidation of geochemical mechanism(s) leading to arsenic contamination of groundwater [5]

• blanket groundwater surveys of the Red River Delta (Northern Vietnam) and the Mekong Delta (Cambodia and Southern Vietnam) [3, 6]

[1] “Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater and Drinking Water in Vietnam: A Human Health Threat.” Berg M. et al. 2001, Environ. Sci. Technol. 35, 2621–2626.

[2] “Arsenic Removal from Groundwater by Household Sand Filters: Comparative Field Study, Model Calculations, and Health Benefits.” Berg M. et al. 2006, Environ. Sci. Technol. 40, 5567–73.

[3] “Magnitude of arsenic pollution in the Mekong and Red River Deltas – Cambodia and Vietnam.” Berg M. et al. 2007, Sci. Total Environ. 372, 413–425.

[4] “Bacterial Bioassay for Rapid and Accurate Analysis of Arsenic in Highly Variable Groundwater Samples.” Trang et al. 2005, Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 7625–30.

[5] “Hydrological and Sedimentary Controls Leading to Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in the Hanoi Area, Vietnam.” Berg M. et al. submitted.

[6] “Arsenic and Manganese Contamination of Drinking Water Resources in Cambodia: Coincidence of Risk Areas with Low Relief Topography.” Buschmann et al 2007, Environ. Sci. Technol. 41, 2146–2152.