Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Things I found out about Hanoi when looking for teaching materials for my students
The sustainability of toilets in Hanoi, Vietnam
Summary
The sewage/drainage system for Hanoi was installed over 50 years ago by the French colonialists for 400,000 people. The same pipelines are still in use today but cater for over 1.6 million people. Sewage is not treated. All sewage, waste water (including waste water from hospitals, industrial waste) etc. are sent through a joint sewage and drainage system, polluting the lakes scattered through the city and the rivers.
Groundwater pollution in the Hanoi area, Vietnam
Summary
Hanoi's water supply is mainly ground-water. Pollutants found are nitrogen - at a serious level, mercury, arsenic and biological elements (fecal coliform). Studies for benzene, toluene, and chloride are incomplete at the time the paper was published.
Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in River Water of Hanoi, Vietnam Using Multivariate Analyses
This paper shows the concentration of heavy metals in table formats.
The Economy and the Traffic Are Humming in Hanoi, but the Price Is Dirtier Air
Basically says that only China and India have more pollution of the very dangerous microscopic dust called PM10, than Hanoi. Hanoi has double that found in Bangkok. Bangkok's air is cleaner than Hanoi!!!
Source of the above article here: It's very interesting and readable with lots of pictures.
"An Air Quality Management Action Plan for Hanoi"
Measures urged to curb traffic pollution
A news article stating "... air pollution is soaring in cities, doubling or tripling the permitted levels. It is estimated to cost people in Ha Noi $60 million a year to treat health problems related to the pollution and $120 million in HCM City".
"Some researchers predict that in the absence of tough measures the number of motorbikes in Viet Nam will increase to 30 million by 2020, compared to 18.5 million in 2006".
And again, the weblinks are on my work computer - I also found that there are huge amounts of arsenic in the water, and 2 types of e-coli, and cadmium and I can't remember what else.
I was boiling the tap-water for my tea and coffee at home until Victor got here and suggested I use bottled water instead. Thank you Victor. But please do not worry about my mutating cells, as I'm hardly ever at home, I didn't really drink very much tea or coffee at home over the first month.
Summary
The sewage/drainage system for Hanoi was installed over 50 years ago by the French colonialists for 400,000 people. The same pipelines are still in use today but cater for over 1.6 million people. Sewage is not treated. All sewage, waste water (including waste water from hospitals, industrial waste) etc. are sent through a joint sewage and drainage system, polluting the lakes scattered through the city and the rivers.
Groundwater pollution in the Hanoi area, Vietnam
Summary
Hanoi's water supply is mainly ground-water. Pollutants found are nitrogen - at a serious level, mercury, arsenic and biological elements (fecal coliform). Studies for benzene, toluene, and chloride are incomplete at the time the paper was published.
Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in River Water of Hanoi, Vietnam Using Multivariate Analyses
This paper shows the concentration of heavy metals in table formats.
The Economy and the Traffic Are Humming in Hanoi, but the Price Is Dirtier Air
Basically says that only China and India have more pollution of the very dangerous microscopic dust called PM10, than Hanoi. Hanoi has double that found in Bangkok. Bangkok's air is cleaner than Hanoi!!!
Source of the above article here: It's very interesting and readable with lots of pictures.
"An Air Quality Management Action Plan for Hanoi"
Measures urged to curb traffic pollution
A news article stating "... air pollution is soaring in cities, doubling or tripling the permitted levels. It is estimated to cost people in Ha Noi $60 million a year to treat health problems related to the pollution and $120 million in HCM City".
"Some researchers predict that in the absence of tough measures the number of motorbikes in Viet Nam will increase to 30 million by 2020, compared to 18.5 million in 2006".
And again, the weblinks are on my work computer - I also found that there are huge amounts of arsenic in the water, and 2 types of e-coli, and cadmium and I can't remember what else.
I was boiling the tap-water for my tea and coffee at home until Victor got here and suggested I use bottled water instead. Thank you Victor. But please do not worry about my mutating cells, as I'm hardly ever at home, I didn't really drink very much tea or coffee at home over the first month.
Teaching Week 8 has just finished
I'm not sure what to write - it's been so long since I've put finger-to-keyboard. Victor came for a month and then left early Thursday morning. We had a lovely time trying out a different restaurant almost every night. I don't have cooking facilities so I have to eat out.
I think the density of the traffic and the pollution it causes shocked him. It shocks me every day. One of my colleagues and I were looking up issues on pollution which we can use as teaching materials. The levels of pollution were way above safe levels a couple of years ago and it's a lot worse now.
All the new teachers were observed this week for an hour. It must have been boring and tiresome work for our supervisor as she sat for an hour in each class AND took notes, AND gave us feedback the next day. I was suprised I was as nervous as I was. And of course I had to try out some new ideas, which made my lesson a bit shaky. But my supervisor gave me some ideas for developing that idea further which was great.
We have a special visitor coming to open the new campus in Hanoi. So all the staff have been invited to go to work on Sunday to welcome her in the library. Her name is Julia. They keep changing the time of the official reception; probably for security reasons, and I've forgotten now which was the most recent time forwarded in our emails!!!!
Motorbikes on the footpath. GET ORFF!!!
Photo below taken in the morning, on the way to work.
Last night the footpath outside my workplace was absolutely jammed with motorbikes. I finally made it to the bus stop, and then onto the bus.
I think the density of the traffic and the pollution it causes shocked him. It shocks me every day. One of my colleagues and I were looking up issues on pollution which we can use as teaching materials. The levels of pollution were way above safe levels a couple of years ago and it's a lot worse now.
All the new teachers were observed this week for an hour. It must have been boring and tiresome work for our supervisor as she sat for an hour in each class AND took notes, AND gave us feedback the next day. I was suprised I was as nervous as I was. And of course I had to try out some new ideas, which made my lesson a bit shaky. But my supervisor gave me some ideas for developing that idea further which was great.
We have a special visitor coming to open the new campus in Hanoi. So all the staff have been invited to go to work on Sunday to welcome her in the library. Her name is Julia. They keep changing the time of the official reception; probably for security reasons, and I've forgotten now which was the most recent time forwarded in our emails!!!!
Motorbikes on the footpath. GET ORFF!!!
Photo below taken in the morning, on the way to work.
Last night the footpath outside my workplace was absolutely jammed with motorbikes. I finally made it to the bus stop, and then onto the bus.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Today is Hanoi's 1000th Birthday.
Several helicopters woke us up by flying over the street early this morning. I got photos of a couple of them.
We went out for food at around midday, and stopped at a local grocery store; but we stayed indoors for the remainder of the day because it seemed abnormally busy.
The photos and movies below are taken in side streets which do not lead to the lake and as a result were very quiet.
These movies were shot through the French "STOP" restaurant window in Hang Hahn which is normally bustling, but quiet today because it's not a thoroughfare street to the lake.
We went out for food at around midday, and stopped at a local grocery store; but we stayed indoors for the remainder of the day because it seemed abnormally busy.
The photos and movies below are taken in side streets which do not lead to the lake and as a result were very quiet.
These movies were shot through the French "STOP" restaurant window in Hang Hahn which is normally bustling, but quiet today because it's not a thoroughfare street to the lake.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
One day - Saturday 9th October 2010
I've been very, very busy trying to dodge vendors and get to school during Hanoi's ten days of festivities; and we've been administering and marking a set of end-of-course exams and mid-course-exams.
Victor's wallet was stolen within 24 hours of arriving here. One of the new teachers told me about how her friend's bike was stolen, and her tyres were slashed, and she caught a woman with her hand in another person's bag in the crush of people that surround the roads around the lake every day and evening.
This morning I showed Victor the rooftop of the building I'm staying in, we ate breakfast in a little back alley street, then sat near the lake to watch the festivities. A grotty man in a military uniform came over and indicated he wanted a photo taken with me. I think he is mentally ill as he was touching me up all the time - so we got rid of him, then watched him go over to a younger couple of tourists and do the same thing to the woman there. Photos below.
Victor's wallet was stolen within 24 hours of arriving here. One of the new teachers told me about how her friend's bike was stolen, and her tyres were slashed, and she caught a woman with her hand in another person's bag in the crush of people that surround the roads around the lake every day and evening.
This morning I showed Victor the rooftop of the building I'm staying in, we ate breakfast in a little back alley street, then sat near the lake to watch the festivities. A grotty man in a military uniform came over and indicated he wanted a photo taken with me. I think he is mentally ill as he was touching me up all the time - so we got rid of him, then watched him go over to a younger couple of tourists and do the same thing to the woman there. Photos below.
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