Report to the Prime Minister on the fish kill incident in the river.

On the afternoon of May 9th, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province submitted a report to the Prime Minister regarding the fish deaths on the Buoi River (Thach Thanh district) and the Bach Bang River (Tinh Gia district).

According to reports, since May 4th, the Buoi River section bordering An Nghia commune (Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province) flowing through Thach Lam commune, Thach Thanh district, has shown signs of dark green, frothy, foul-smelling water, and mass fish deaths (both farmed and wild fish), causing serious damage to fish farming households. As of the morning of May 7th, the amount of dead fish belonging to fish farmers was 17,385 kg, with 73 out of 109 cages belonging to 32 out of 49 households affected, not including the number of dead wild fish.

The Buoi River is polluted due to factory wastewater discharge, causing the death of farmed carp in cages in Thach Thanh district (Thanh Hoa province). Photo: Zing

The initial cause of the fish deaths has been identified as wastewater discharge from the Hoa Binh Sugar Mill, located in the Lac Son Industrial Cluster, Tan My commune (Hoa Binh province). Between March 15th and April 25th, 2016, the mill discharged untreated wastewater directly into the Buoi River at a rate of 250-300 cubic meters per day.

Vice Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Quyen, affirmed that this is a very serious environmental incident, affecting the daily lives, health, and livelihoods of people along the Buoi River (15 communes in Thach Thanh district and 7 communes in Vinh Loc district). He also stated that local authorities have been directed to provide timely support to ensure the daily lives of the people; and to implement long-term support policies for affected households. He instructed the collection and disposal of all dead fish to ensure environmental hygiene, and to continue implementing measures to mitigate damage caused by the pollution of the Buoi River. Furthermore, he assigned relevant agencies to investigate the incident and handle violations according to the law.

Regarding the unusual fish deaths in the Lạch Bạng estuary area (Tĩnh Gia district), on May 5th, several households raising fish in cages on the Lạch Bạng river were feeding their fish. At 8 AM, they noticed the fish were experiencing oxygen deprivation and began dying. The fish deaths stopped at 10 AM.

According to statistics, the harbor area has 20 households raising fish in cages, but only 4 households experienced fish deaths, totaling approximately 1.5 tons. The initial cause has been identified as pollution from ships entering and leaving the port. This area is a boat mooring harbor, and the fish cage farming is spontaneous. Previously, on July 20, 2012, the Provincial People's Committee issued a document regarding the relocation of fish cages to a planned area to ensure safe navigation for ships sheltering from storms. The Provincial People's Committee will decisively direct the relocation of all fish cages belonging to fishermen in this area.

To definitively resolve the water pollution issue in the Buoi River, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province requested the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to assist Thanh Hoa province in determining the cause and extent of pollution and implementing measures to address the water pollution in the Buoi River; the Ministry of Public Security to direct the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police and the Hoa Binh Provincial Police to investigate the case and handle it according to the law; and the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province to inspect and monitor the compliance with environmental protection laws by the Hoa Binh Sugar Mill, coordinate with the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province to determine the extent of environmental damage caused by this factory, and provide support to affected fish farming households in Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa province.

Thanh Hoa province also requested the Prime Minister to provide funding to thoroughly address the environmental pollution of the Buoi River, ensuring water quality for the people to maintain stable production and daily life.

According to Tienphong.vn