Warning about dumping pig carcasses into irrigation canals, Minh Chau commune must install temporary nets

N2 Canal is part of the project to restore and upgrade the North Nghe An irrigation system, which previously ran through Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts. This water source serves to irrigate thousands of hectares of agricultural land and provides industrial and domestic water for thousands of households.

However, since the beginning of July, people in Minh Chau commune have been worried when witnessing many dead pigs, in the process of decomposition, floating in the middle of the N2 canal. This situation not only seriously affects the environment but also poses the risk of disease outbreaks.

According to local people, the situation of dead animals floating down the river to this area happens frequently, but in recent days it has become more serious, especially when African swine fever broke out strongly. There were pigs weighing hundreds of kilograms, and they gave off a strong smell.

Minh Chau Commune authorities said that since the beginning of July, the locality has received and handled many batches of floating pig carcasses. Due to the inability to trace the origin, the commune authorities organized an urgent collection and destruction by digging deep holes, sprinkling lime powder and spraying disinfectants.

To prevent the situation from continuing, the People's Committee of Minh Chau commune has submitted a proposal to the Bac Nghe An Irrigation Company and Dien Chau Irrigation Enterprise to install temporary trash screens at two key locations on the N2 canal including: Km14+960 (on the land of the old Dien Thang commune) and Km18+300 (border between the two old Dien Thang and Dien Cat communes).

The grid system is made of round steel, the grids are 40x40 cm in size and are flexibly designed to be disassembled when the water flow is large. According to the commune's commitment, the installation process still ensures the flow for production and does not affect the general irrigation system.

On July 20, just a few days after the trash screening system was put into use, a large pig carcass, weighing more than 100kg, was caught by the net at the source, preventing it from continuing to flow down to the area.

Although initially effective, the Minh Chau commune authorities frankly admitted that this was only a temporary solution. Mr. Le The Hieu - Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee said: "The most difficult thing now is determining the origin of the dead pigs. Canal N2 flows through many communes of the old Yen Thanh district before reaching Minh Chau - the downstream area, so we cannot know exactly where the pigs were dumped. The radical treatment requires synchronous coordination from the upstream communes."

Based on that reality, the People's Committee of Minh Chau commune has recommended that localities located at the source of the N2 canal strengthen propaganda, inspection and supervision of livestock farming and disease treatment. At the same time, strictly punish cases of intentionally dumping animal carcasses into the environment.

It is known that since the beginning of July 2025, African swine fever has continued to reappear in many localities in the province, such as the communes: Quang Chau, An Chau, Tan Chau, Minh Chau... (old Dien Chau district); Hoa Quan, Tam Dong, Dai Dong... (old Thanh Chuong district); Quan Thanh, Giai Lac... (old Yen Thanh district); Mon Son, Con Cuong... (old Con Cuong district); Anh Son, Nhan Hoa, Yen Xuan (old Anh Son district).