'Taking care of environmental protection for sustainable business development'

(Baonghean) - After some peoplehave an opinionon environmental protection work in the areas ofSong Lam Cement Joint Stock Company,Mr. Dinh Quoc Quyen - General Director discussed this issue.

PV:Sir, some voters in Bai Son commune (Do Luong), where Song Lam Cement Factory is located, complained: "During operation, the factory brings socio-economic efficiency to the locality, but there is smoke and dust causing pollution." How do you explain this issue?

Mr. Dinh Quoc Quyen - General Director of Song Lam Cement Company at the tree planting launching ceremony to protect the environment in early 2017. Photo: NS

Mr. Dinh Quoc Quyen:First, we recorded all opinions of people around the factory area, from there we increased inspection of all production stages to clarify.

Regarding the issue of smoke and dust that some people have reported, we see that during the previous construction process of the factory, sometimes there may have been smoke and dust, but it has not been to the extent of causing pollution.

In fact, since the start of clinker production in early 2017, dust and smoke have been controlled. Because the factory's production technology is imported from Europe, in which the electrostatic dust filter system is very modern, the dust filtration efficiency reaches 98.8%. Thus, the amount of dust released into the environment is almost zero.

The amount of dust collected by the dust filter is sent to the material silo, because that is the raw material that makes up clinker. According to calculations, every day, the factory's dust filter bags collect dust (silo) worth over 20 million VND. Therefore, during the production process, we always pay attention to and thoroughly improve the efficiency of the dust filter to both protect the environment and avoid material loss, bringing revenue to the company.

In addition, every day, in the factory premises, we have an industrial cleaning team, cleaning thoroughly, watering the internal traffic system many times to minimize dust when vehicles come in and out to receive clinker. The company is also promoting tree planting in the area to improve the ecological environment. If any people are still confused about the above issues, we are ready to invite them to visit the factory to see the efforts of the unit.

And to be put into operation, the factory has been approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for environmental impact assessment, ensuring standards. Once again, we affirm that The Vissai Cement Group has invested over 13,000 billion VND to build the factory cluster and plan to operate in the area for decades. Therefore, we ourselves must worry and implement many environmental protection solutions for sustainable development.

Song Lam Cement Factory in Do Luong (Nghe An) has been operating stably to produce Clinker. Photo: Nhat Minh

PV:Some opinions also say that during operation, the cement factory and mine are very noisy, affecting the lives of people in the surrounding area?

Mr. Dinh Quoc Quyen:Regarding noise, in industrial activities, especially related to mining of raw materials such as cement, it is inevitable. However, as we mentioned above, these indicators are within the allowable threshold approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment when assessing environmental impacts. Periodically, there are inspection teams from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to conduct inspections.

In mining, it is inevitable to use dynamite to excavate the rock layers. To ensure safety, we have established strict procedures and require units to divide the explosive packages into smaller ones to ensure safety and reduce noise and vibration. And each time we detonate, we coordinate closely with the authorities to notify the people around the area. Through this, people can also control and evaluate the reality.

As I have affirmed, Song Lam Cement Factory has been operating for a long time in the area, becoming a "member" of Bai Son commune in particular and of the whole province in general, so we always focus on ensuring the highest safety in production and ensuring harmony of interests and the surrounding environment.

Industrial cleaning and watering work are carried out daily in the Song Lam Cement Factory premises. Photo: NS

PV:Could you please tell us more about how the factory's environmental protection work will be maintained and improved in the long term?

Mr. Dinh Quoc Quyen:We are committed to making every effort to do so. Because the factory's production technology is very modern and regularly maintained. Along with that, solutions for planting trees and enhancing industrial hygiene are focused on.

Another issue that people in Bai Son commune (Do Luong) and Nghi Thiet (Nghi Loc) can rest assured about is that the factory cluster in the area is separate, one place produces clinker and one place grinds cement (some other factories concentrate both areas in one place). That separation will reduce the pressure of dust and noise. Of course, as I have affirmed, the most important thing is that the company's awareness always focuses on environmental protection for sustainable development.

Through this, we also refute some opinions that the company's clinker transport system between the two production areas via N5 road is overloaded. This absolutely does not happen. Because in reality, on the route there are traffic police forces, traffic inspectors, and inter-sectoral forces that regularly control. At the same time, during the export of goods, we have a weighing station and strict export slips so that there is no overloading. This, every day at the factory's weighing station, we keep a logbook and weight slip for each vehicle transfer in accordance with the vehicle load according to the inspection certificate of the functional force.

Song Lam Cement Company's factories have just started operating for the first year and will continue to produce for decades to come, so we hope that the local authorities and people will continue to accompany us as in the past to jointly develop the socio-economy in Nghe An.

PV:Thank you for the above discussion!

Nguyen Nguyen(Perform)