(Baonghean.vn) - After the dam containing waste and mud of Suoi Bac Tin Factory - Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company broke on the morning of March 9, there was a phenomenon of fish and aquatic life in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes in the area dying en masse. Notably, according to local authorities, the environmental pollution caused by tin mining and production activities has been going on for many years.
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| The incident of the waste and mud reservoir of Suoi Bac Tin Factory (Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company) bursting happened on the morning of March 9, 2017. From the afternoon of March 9, people began to discover dead fish floating in the water. |
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| Dead fish floated on the Nam Huong river, grass carp, bighead carp, and common carp weighing from 0.5 - 0.8 kg were the first to die. |
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| Mr. Quang Canh Dung, an environmental officer of Chau Cuong commune (Quy Hop), said that on the morning of March 10, many local people went to Nam Huong stream to catch fish. Some families brought them home to cook and eat. |
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| On the afternoon of March 11, many types of stream fish floated dead and began to decompose. |
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| Immediately after discovering black mud and brown and red waste flowing into the Nam Huong river, causing mass fish deaths, Chau Cuong commune authorities advised people not to scoop up fish to eat or use the Nam Huong water source. |
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| On the morning of March 10, the fish pond of Ms. Lo Thi Dung's family in Quang Huong village, Chau Quang commune began to show signs of fish dying. By the morning of March 11, dozens of fish weighing 2.5 - 3 kg were floating listlessly and then dying. |
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| Ms. Lo Thi Dau - a fish farmer - confirmed that the fish of the households died due to water pollution after the dam containing waste of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise located upstream in Chau Thanh commune (Quy Hop) broke. |
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| Mature grass carp are caught by people and wait to be destroyed. |
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| Mr. Tran Van Tuan - Chairman of Chau Quang Commune People's Committee said that for many years now, 22/26 residential areas of Chau Quang Commune have been heavily affected by polluted water sources, the cause of which is the discharge of wastewater from Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise under Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company. The most specific manifestation is that the rice cultivation areas that directly take water from the water source without filtering cannot develop. |
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| The roots of the rice plants are shriveled, blackened and clogged. Ms. Ha Thi Tuyet in Quang Huong hamlet (Chau Quang) said that the situation of many rice fields not being able to grow has lasted for many years, and people have also reported the polluted water source many times but it has not been satisfactorily resolved. |
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| To protect the cultivation and aquaculture areas, the authorities of Chau Cuong and Chau Quang communes have to invest money to build gates to close off the upstream water. Whenever pollution is detected, the water channels are closed. However, this is only a temporary solution. |
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| By the morning of March 12, the Nam Huong River - the main water source of the Dinh River as well as the communes of Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, and Chau Quang (Quy Hop) was still turbid and covered with black mud. |
Nhat Lan - Dao Tuan
