Pollution alarm 'kills' Le Dynasty canal relic

Color changing canal

On the last day of October, in the midst of heavy rain, the waterLe Dynasty CanalThe section passing through Nghi Yen commune (Nghi Loc district) has started to change color again. The black water from a ditch flows down, mixing with the water of the canal, causing the entire long section of the canal to soon turn black, emitting a strong stench. This has been a frequent occurrence in recent years, especially on rainy days.

The polluted area stretches for several kilometers, especially around the Le Canal Monument, located right next to National Highway 1A. There are quite a few households living around here, so the pollution has greatly affected their lives.

“In the past, children used to go swimming in the canal in the summer. In recent years, the water has often turned black, and no one dares to go near it anymore. Every time the water changes color, the households living along the canal suffer a lot because of the stench,” said Hoang Van Bac (37 years old).

The Le Canal, passing through Hung Nguyen and Nghi Loc districts, was recognized as a National Historical Relic in 2016. This is an important waterway system connecting the provinces of Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh. During the resistance war against the US, this canal became an effective waterway transport route to transport goods, weapons... through the key attack points in the Central region, considered as the "Ho Chi Minh trail on the river" in terms of its important contribution to the cause of fighting the US to save the country.

During nearly 10 years of operation on the route and canal, with 1,350 cadres, employees, workers, youth volunteers, porters... participating in the battle on the front of mine clearance, dredging routes, and fighting blockades, in Nghe An alone, 130 people heroically sacrificed their lives.

To commemorate and pay tribute to the heroic soldiers of the waterway industry who sacrificed their lives and to a legendary canal that has gone down in history, in 1996, the Nghe An Department of Transport chose Than Vu Mountain, near the burial place of 130 martyrs in Nghi Yen commune, to erect the Le Dynasty Canal Memorial. Although it is the most historically significant section of the canal, in recent years, the canal in this area has been heavily polluted.

Mr. Tran Cong Hoa - Vice Chairman of Nghi Yen Commune People's Committee said that this canal not only has historical significance, but also provides irrigation water for 400 hectares of cultivated land in the commune. "However, the frequent pollution has seriously affected people's lives. Every time, we organize inspections to find the cause, but so far we have not been able to determine the exact source of pollution. We can only raise questions," said Mr. Hoa.

According to Mr. Hoa, the most serious and prolonged pollution occurred in mid-April 2021. Immediately after discovering the canal had turned black and emitted a foul odor, the local authorities of Nghi Yen commune and Nghi Loc district set up a team to investigate the cause.

“At that time, there was a gas station, a household raising pigs in large numbers, and restaurants on this section of the canal. However, when we checked, we did not find any discharge. We also suspected that the source of the discharge that was killing the canal was from the Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Area not far away, but at the time of the inspection, the discharge pipe of this area was not discharging,” said Mr. Hoa.

In addition, according to the Vice Chairman of Nghi Yen Commune People's Committee, there were many times when the canal was polluted, originating from tanker trucks secretly discharging waste. "There were times when we went to investigate and people said that the night before the canal was polluted, some tanker truck drivers carrying waste stopped right on the overpass, taking advantage of the dark night when few people were passing by to connect the hose and discharge waste into the canal. There was a time when people discovered a truck carrying "beer dregs" secretly discharging waste. However, because the authorities did not directly detect it, they could not handle it," Mr. Tran Cong Hoa added.

Promptly and completely handle the source of wastewater leaking from the landfill

During the pollution outbreak at the end of October, people followed the source of the black water and discovered that it flowed from the Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Complex. Many people were upset because they believed that the waste treatment complex took advantage of the rain to secretly discharge untreated wastewater, causing the canal to be "suffocated".

Speaking to reporters, the leader of the Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Complex admitted that the black water came from inside the treatment area. “After the people reported it, we also worked with them. However, the source of that water was not from us. It was from the incinerator area of ​​Galax Joint Stock Company,” he said, adding that the incinerators caused environmental pollution, so 3 years ago the Provincial People's Committee requested them to stop operating, but there was still a large amount of humus left. Every time it rained heavily, water from this area overflowed, through a ditch in the solid waste treatment area and poured into Nha Le canal. Immediately after receiving the report, the Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Complex had people fill the soil to prevent the wastewater from overflowing outside.

According to local residents, this was not the first time they discovered black water flowing from this waste treatment area. The leader of Nghi Loc District People's Committee also said that the operation of Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Area is currently causing frequent environmental pollution, greatly affecting the lives of people in Nghi Yen commune and neighboring areas.

Therefore, many households are upset and have reported many opinions to the competent authorities. In meetings, local people often report this issue. Most recently, in a meeting with voters of National Assembly deputies in Nghi Yen commune, people once again reported the pollution situation originating from this waste treatment area.

Mr. Pham Van Toan - Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that this waste treatment area is mainly by landfill, which creates leachate and bad smell, affecting people's lives. Out of 8 landfills, currently 5 are full. Therefore, in the coming time, we must find an investor to handle and overcome this situation, not allowing the waste treatment by landfill to continue for a long time.

Mr. Vu Van Phuong - Director of Vinh City Urban Construction and Environment Joint Stock Company (the unit operating the landfill in Nghi Yen commune) said that Nghi Yen Waste Treatment Area has been operating for more than 10 years, and in the past, there have been measures to improve and handle environmental pollution such as spraying deodorants and insecticides, however, this problem cannot be completely solved. Currently, the Company will try harder, taking advantage of all possibilities to minimize pollution for people; in the coming time, it is impossible to maintain landfilling, but it is necessary to choose new technology that meets new standards to minimize pollution...

According to the reporter's investigation, in 2019, after the interdisciplinary inspection team concluded, the People's Committee of Nghe An province fined Vinh City Urban Construction and Environment Joint Stock Company more than 760 million VND for discharging wastewater exceeding standards into the environment.

Recently, the Provincial People's Committee continued to establish an interdisciplinary inspection team to inspect this waste treatment area after many complaints from the people. During the inspection, the team discovered that this company discharged wastewater that had not been treated at the treatment plant into the outside. The police then took samples to test these wastewater samples. Currently, the team has also extended the inspection time to make a conclusion.