Dead fish, sewage sludge, and other problems stemming from Ha An Tin Company Limited.

"The dark spot" six years ago

We know about the mining region ofHa An Tin Company LimitedOn Lan Toong mountain in October 2018. This was because, following the collapse of the tin ore tailings dam of Nghe Tinh Non-Ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company in March 2017, the environmental pollution consequences of tin ore mining received more attention than ever before. And because, at that time, there were reports that Ha An Tin Company Limited was not complying with environmental protection regulations!

Lan Toong Mountain is located at the intersection of Chau Hong and Chau Thanh communes. From Quy Hop town, follow National Highway 48C through Chau Quang and Chau Cuong communes to the foot of the mountain. From there, it's about fifty minutes uphill to reach the main mining site of Ha An Tin Company Limited.

Back then, besides the makeshift tents where the workers rested, this mining site also had a few single-story houses and a functioning crushing and screening plant.

Observing the overall situation, it's easy to see that this company is not complying with environmental protection laws. This is evident in the lack of a system of sludge and wastewater storage tanks. Right below the grinding plant, there is a large mountain of sludge with long stretches of sludge flowing down the hillside. Given this situation, even a light rain would wash the sludge into the Mai stream.

When we inquired with local officials in Chau Hong commune, they expressed clear indignation. They pointed out that while the Non-Ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company had a sludge containment dam that could have burst, the Ha An Tin Company Limited only had a few small, rudimentary containment pits, with most of the waste sludge piled up in mounds and overflowing freely across the mountain.

And out of frustration, they took us back up to the top of Lan Toong mountain, to the Chau Thanh commune, to witness another tin ore crushing and screening site. There, there was a waste sludge reservoir, but it was just a small, makeshift pond, with piles of dark gray sludge next to it…

Leaving Lan Toong mountain, we were informed by the District People's Committee that in 2017, Ha An Tin Company Limited committed numerous violations, leading the competent authorities to suspend its mining operations.

However, at the end of November 2017, the People's Committee of Quy Hop district had to form an unscheduled inspection team after receiving information that Ha An Tin Company Limited had resumed mining operations.

Upon inspection, violations were found, and concerns remain. Of particular worry is that although the settling tank has been constructed, the sludge is already full, posing a high risk of landslides and environmental pollution. Therefore, the Quy Hop District People's Committee has requested that the sludge be moved to a designated collection point according to the approved plan; and that measures be taken to construct additional safe settling tanks to prevent landslides…

Given this situation, the Nghe An Online Newspaper published an article on October 17, 2018, titled "Nghe An: 'Mud bomb' still hanging on the mountain two years after the dam collapse disaster."

Immediately afterwards, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to coordinate with the inspection team of the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam to inspect the mineral mining activities and environmental protection of Ha An Tin Company Limited. On November 1, 2018, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Letter No. 6538/STNMT-BVMT reporting the inspection results to the Provincial People's Committee.

In conclusion, the Nghe An Newspaper's report alleging that Ha An Tin Company Limited violated environmental laws in its mineral mining activities is well-founded.

At the same time, the report states that the inspection team from the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam has drawn up an inspection report and is awaiting the results of sample analysis to use as a basis for handling the case according to regulations…

Information from Nghe An Newspaper was also received by the Quy Hop District People's Committee and the Environmental Police Department of the Provincial Police, who organized a surprise inspection. The inspection identified several shortcomings in the construction of environmental protection facilities at the mine of Ha An Tin Company Limited; the company was required to implement measures to prevent and control landslides during the rainy season...

Current "black spots"

Following the incident on July 1, 2024, where the Nam Huong stream in Chau Thanh commune turned a murky yellow color and there were unusual fish deaths, Nghe An Newspaper reported on the incident and the involvement of various levels and sectors through several articles.

To date, Ha An Tin Company Limited has accepted responsibility for the wastewater discharge that caused the Nam Huong stream in Chau Thanh commune (Quy Hop district) to become polluted and turn dark yellow; at the same time, it has committed to implementing the contents pointed out by the working group of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in coordination with the People's Committee of Quy Hop district on July 8, 2024.

However, it is difficult to believe that similar incidents will not continue to occur in the mining operations of Ha An Tin Co., Ltd. The reason is that Ha An Tin Co., Ltd. frequently repeats violations. Evidence is not only from 2018, the time when we first learned about Ha An Tin Co., Ltd., but also from 2021 to the present. Documents accessed show that Ha An Tin Co., Ltd. has been fined three times for administrative violations, totaling 595.6 million VND!

To be more specific, on October 12, 2021, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 3732/QD-UBND imposing administrative penalties on Ha An Tin Company Limited.

The offender was penalized for illegally occupying 1.23 hectares of production forest land in the Suoi Bac area, Chau Hong commune, Quy Hop district, to construct a crushing and sorting system, water reservoir, wastewater treatment system, and worker housing.

The main form of punishment includes a fine of 210 million VND; and the obligation to continue the land allocation and lease procedures as prescribed within a period of 180 days.

At the same time, they were ordered to return the illegal profits obtained from committing the administrative violation, amounting to 24.6 million VND.

Subsequently, on April 28, 2023, the People's Committee of Quy Hop District issued Decision No. 639/QD-UBND imposing administrative penalties on Ha An Tin Company Limited. The reason was that the company had dumped soil and sludge waste from the ore processing process beyond the boundaries of the leased land area for waste disposal, covering an area of ​​1.1 hectares at Bac Stream, Chau Hong Commune.

The main form of punishment is a fine of 100 million VND; and the land must be restored to its original condition before the violation for an area of ​​11,000m².²At the same time, they were ordered to return the illegal profits obtained from committing the administrative violation, amounting to 11 million VND.

Recently, on June 4, 2024, based on the administrative violation report compiled by the inspection team under Decision No. 901/QD-BTNMT dated April 5, 2024, of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on May 28, 2024, the People's Committee of Quy Hop District issued Decision No. 2981/QD-UBND imposing administrative penalties on Ha An Tin Company Limited.

The violations include: “Using minerals for purposes other than those stipulated in the mining license without authorization from the competent state management agency; fabricating complete books, documents, and related materials to determine the actual annual mining output; and failing to submit the approved mine design to the competent state management agency for minerals.”

For these violations, Ha An Tin Company Limited was fined 250 million VND; its mineral mining operations were suspended for 4.5 months; and it was required to pay all costs for expert assessment, inspection, and measurement.

More worrying information

Regarding Ha An Tin Company Limited, in 2013, it was granted Mineral Exploitation License No. 377/GP-BTNMT by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to exploit tin ore at the Suoi Bac tin mine, covering an area of ​​17.12 hectares, spread across two communes, Chau Thanh and Chau Hong, in Quy Hop district.

Regarding mining methods, Ha An Tin Company Limited operates underground mining, with mining heights up to +520m. According to Mineral Exploitation License No. 377/GP-BTNMT, the permitted mining reserve is 423,246 tons, with a permitted mining capacity of 20,000 tons/year for a period of 24 years.

However, a document from the General Department of Environment in November 2022 sent to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment shows that Ha An Tin Company Limited has "gone into operation, adjusting and adding an additional ore crushing and sorting system to increase the project's capacity (increasing processing capacity from 25,000 tons/year to 60,000 tons/year),...".

Based on what we know about the mining operations of Ha An Tin Co., Ltd., we believe this is a cause for concern! Despite having a mining capacity of 20,000 tons/year as stipulated in Mineral Exploitation License No. 377/GP-BTNMT, Ha An Tin Co., Ltd. has repeatedly committed violations.

So, when the mining capacity increases threefold, and both mining operations and waste treatment take place on the summit of Lan Toong mountain, more than 700 meters above sea level, what basis is there to believe that safety will be ensured and no environmental incidents will occur?