Hospital discharges wastewater causing pollution to people for 5 years

(Baonghean.vn) - For the past 5 years, dozens of households living next to the Southwest Regional General Hospital have been facing pollution from medical wastewater discharged directly into production land.

The discharge area of ​​the Southwest Nghe An Regional General Hospital discharges waste onto people's land. Photo: PV

For a long time, since 2012, people in Lam Tra village, Bong Khe commune, Con Cuong district (Nghe An) have complained that the Southwest Regional General Hospital located in the area continuously discharges wastewater into the environment without a drainage ditch. Smoke from the hospital's medical waste incinerator spreads, making it "unable to breathe" for many neighboring households every time the hospital burns waste.

According to local residents, the incinerator operates 3-5 times a week. “They usually burn in the morning and afternoon. The wastewater flows continuously,” said a resident of Lam Tra village.

Mr. Hoang Quang Vinh, head of Lam Tra village, informed that: In the plan to build the Southwest Regional General Hospital, there must be a wastewater discharge ditch system, originating from the outlet at the end of the hospital connecting to the Lam River.

It has been 5 years since the hospital started operating, but there is still no wastewater drainage system. During that time, the hospital continuously discharged wastewater directly into the land of Ms. Le Thi Dung right next to the hospital fence, and this water source flows to other plots of land of the villagers.

Wastewater from the hole in the hospital fence seeps into the surrounding land. Part of it flows into a natural ditch nearby. The ditch is not concreted, so people are afraid that the wastewater will continue to seep into the surrounding land, polluting many wells in Lam Tra village. The well water smells so bad that people do not dare to use it.

The water source at the discharge hole from this hospital is black and smells bad. Photo: PV

Ms. Ho Thi Long, whose son, Pham Van Son, lives next to the Southwest Regional Hospital, said: Son has a well next to his house, but it has not been used for several years. This young man, who makes a living as a construction worker, has to share water with his mother's family.

When the reporter team directly scooped a bucket of water from Mr. Son's well on the afternoon of August 17, 2017, the water was still clear but had an unpleasant odor. At the same time, the incinerator in the Southwest Regional Hospital was operating, and white smoke from the hospital chimney spread into the air. Although we were standing about 200 meters away, we could still smell the unpleasant smell from the smoke column of the incinerator.

However, according to Mr. Hoang Quang Vinh, pollution from the incinerator has improved significantly. Previously, people had complained many times, since the beginning of 2017, the hospital had extended the chimney by 3m. "Before, every time the hospital burned garbage, the smoke was carried by the wind into the residential area. People nearby had to wear masks to breathe" - a villager recalled.

The smell from the waste incinerator is also said to be one of the causes of "uncomfort" for the people of Lam Tra village. Photo: PV

Discussing the issue of hospital waste burning, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Son, Director of the Southwest Regional General Hospital, said: People have been complaining about this issue for a long time and during that time, the People's Committee of Con Cuong district directed the handling. Currently, the hospital has completely resolved the issue since 2016 and has received the people's approval.

Regarding the hospital wastewater issue that people have reported, Mr. Son said that the Nghe An Department of Health has granted a discharge license. The hospital has had a wastewater and waste treatment facility that meets standards since 2016 and is regularly monitored for environmental impact. The water is discharged into the “natural canal system”. As for the area outside the hospital campus, the unit does not have the function of constructing.

However, when Nghe An Newspaper reporters discussed again, Mr. Hoang Quang Vinh, Lam Tra village chief, did not agree with the hospital's explanation. "We do not agree with the hospital (Southwest Regional General Hospital) discharging wastewater into the environment without a drainage ditch" - Mr. Hoang Quang Vinh said.

A villager is upset about the hospital's waste discharge. Photo: PV

The decision to grant a license to discharge wastewater into water sources by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nghe An province dated March 30, 2016 clearly states: The water source receiving wastewater from the Southwest Regional Hospital is Lam River, section through Bong Khe commune, Con Cuong district. Discharge method: Wastewater after treatment is pumped into the drainage system behind the hospital and then flows into the receiving source.

However, currently, the wastewater from the hospital does not have a receiving system, so it is directly seeping into agricultural land and garden land, causing concern for Lam Tra villagers./.

PV Group