Solving pollution in Lach Van: Avoiding the situation of 'beating the drum and then abandoning the drumstick'

(Baonghean) - Environmental pollution in Lach Van (Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau) has been going on for many years. People have petitioned and the press has reported many times but it has not been thoroughly resolved.

Lach Van fishing port (Dien Chau)

People are angry, government is helpless

A “hot” issue that has long been raised in meetings with voters of National Assembly deputies and provincial People’s Council deputies is the environmental pollution in Lach Van (Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau district). It is called “hot” because people have been “complaining” for many years, the press has reported many times but the handling by the authorities has been too “slow”.

Continuing to investigate the current situation of this issue, the reporter went directly to Lach Van. Ms. Vu Thi Oanh, Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune said: We have had to suffer from environmental pollution due to waste and wastewater discharged from fishmeal processing factories for many years now. Time and time again, when people have opinions, the agencies keep saying they will check and fix it, but people have waited forever and it has not been completely resolved.

In fact, the people's anger is justified. Because currently, at the Lach Van fishing port area, the activities of processing and classifying seafood by people when boats return take place right on the port floor. Waste from plastic bags, seafood by-products such as shells and snails are "smuggled" by some people straight to the bank of the canal.

Wastewater of Kim Ngoc Nam Company Limited is discharged directly into the environment through this sewer without being treated.

Not only that, wastewater from seafood processing flows directly into the canal without being treated. Along with that, in the port area there are 2 seafood processing facilities: Kim Ngoc Nam Company Limited owned by Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam and the business establishment of Mr. Nguyen Van Hung. When operating, wastewater from Kim Ngoc Nam Company Limited is not collected and treated but discharged directly into the environment.

Although the company has invested in a boiler system, the exhaust gas from the boiler system and the smell of steam when released into the environment cause discomfort to the surrounding residential areas. In July 2016, the inspection team of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment also discovered that the company was operating at more than 20 tons/day over the permitted capacity according to the approved Environmental Protection Commitment; had not obtained a license to discharge wastewater into water sources; had not paid environmental protection fees for industrial wastewater...

The area inside the fishing port is like that, the area outside the fishing port is no less polluted. On both sides of the port, people dump household waste, construction waste, and waste from seafood catching activities into the creek.

Over time, these types of waste have not been collected, causing a foul odor, affecting waterways, making it difficult for fishing boats to enter and exit. In addition, wastewater from production and business of seafood processing facilities in Dien Ngoc commune also contributes to making the environment here more polluted.

Household waste, construction waste, and seafood by-products are dumped by people into Lach Van.

Most recently, when inspecting the Hung Chau fishmeal processing facility and the North Central Fishmeal Production Company Limited, the People's Committee of Dien Chau district pointed out the shortcomings of these two facilities. Although the Hung Chau facility had built a production wastewater treatment system, it was not in accordance with the commitment; the wastewater did not meet the standards when discharged into the environment; and the wastewater treatment tank was not built in the discharge area because the water was used to suppress dust.

For the North Central Fishmeal Production Company Limited, air environment monitoring has not been carried out according to regulations; hazardous waste is still mixed with household waste, not collected and stored according to regulations.

Why is it that a “hot” issue, which has been petitioned by people for many years, has not been completely resolved? First of all, it is due to the weakness in the inspection and supervision of environmental protection compliance for fishmeal production facilities; people’s awareness of environmental protection is still limited.

Another reason is that the coordination between the Lach Van Fishing Port Management Board and the commune government was not good before. In addition, for a long time, the inspection and assessment of environmental protection work of fishmeal production facilities has not been regular; when violations are detected, the sanctions are not strong enough to deter.

“It is very difficult for the commune authorities to assess whether these establishments have violated environmental protection or not. The commune also regularly reminds establishments and people to strictly comply with environmental protection laws, but that is not enough to prevent it, so the environmental pollution situation still persists,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Vice Chairman of Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee.

Need a strong solution

Although the environmental pollution problem in Lach Van is causing frustration for the people, it is undeniable that the pollution level has decreased significantly. In 2015, with funding from the World Bank, the Coastal Resources for Sustainable Development Project (CRSD) upgraded Lach Van fishing port.

In addition to investing in infrastructure works such as roof houses, fish washing areas, embankments, internal roads, electricity, water, etc., the project has invested in building a wastewater treatment plant along with installing solid waste collection tanks. Mr. Vo Minh - Deputy Head of Lach Van Fishing Port said that after the wastewater treatment plant is completed and put into use, wastewater in the port area will be treated before being discharged into the environment.

Since early December 2016, the Fishing Port Management Board has strictly prohibited and reminded households not to process seafood such as snails and clams on the port grounds.

All kinds of waste are dumped in Lach Van (Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau).

An important measure in protecting the environment in Lach Van is waste collection. This is a difficult task, requiring coordination between the Dien Ngoc commune government, the Lach Van fishing port management board and the people.

It is known that starting from December 2016, Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee signed a contract with Dien Chau Green Environment Joint Stock Company to collect, transport and treat household waste for the people. Every 3 days, the company will collect people's waste and transport it to Nghi Yen Waste Treatment Area (Nghi Loc) for treatment.

“Each year, each household only has to pay 200,000 VND but has their garbage collected at home. However, the biggest concern is that solid waste such as seafood by-products such as shells, snails, and clams has not yet found a suitable solution. In the near future, the commune will coordinate with the Lach Van Fishing Port Management Board to better organize garbage collection in the port,” said Mr. Dung.

The key issue in solving the environmental pollution situation in Lach Van is forcing seafood processing facilities to ensure environmental protection in terms of waste discharge. According to Mr. Tran Hai Duong - Chief Inspector of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, after conducting an inspection and discovering violations by Kim Ngoc Nam Company Limited, the inspection team imposed administrative penalties and required the company to correct the existing problems before December 30, 2016.

If after this period, the company does not fulfill its commitment, it will not lease land and will request the authorities to impose strict penalties. Regarding the two facilities Hung Chau and the North Central Fishmeal Production Company Limited, according to the leader of the Environmental Protection Department (Department of Natural Resources and Environment), the department has requested these facilities to correct their violations, otherwise the department will put them on the inspection list for 2016 and will impose strict penalties when violations are discovered.

With the drastic measures taken by the authorities, people are expecting the environmental pollution problem in Lach Van to be resolved soon. Thereby, contributing to ensuring the living environment of the people, helping people have stable conditions for production, business, and socio-economic development.

Regarding the issue of voters reflecting on the illegal land leasing situation in the Lach Van fishing port area, through investigation, it is known that the Nghe An Fishing Port Management Board is leasing premises to 3 organizations including: Nghe Tinh Petroleum Company, Kim Ngoc Nam Company Limited and Nguyen Van Hung business household for production and business.

According to Clause 9, Article 14, Decree 80/ND-CP on management of fishing ports and storm shelters for fishing vessels, it is stipulated that: The fishing port management board has the right to lease infrastructure to organizations and individuals for production, business and fishing services in the port area, according to the approved fishing port exploitation plan and in accordance with the provisions of law.

Pham Bang