Part 5: When will Khe Cha Ha become green again?
During the time of making this series, our group of reporters visited the locations where gold mining is considered the most painful in the two districts of Tuong Duong and Que Phong (Nghe An). Wherever we went, we saw riverbeds and stream banks dug up, the water was muddy, greatly affecting the lives of the people.
Along the Cha Ha stream are the communes of Yen Tinh, Yen Na, Yen Hoa of Tuong Duong district, home to thousands of households of the Thai, Kinh, and Kho Mu ethnic groups. The Cha Ha stream used to be a generous "mother nature", providing sweet water to irrigate the fields, providing an abundance of shrimp and fish. Yet today, when we passed through these communes, we saw the destruction and destruction of the environment by humans with gold mining machines on the Cha Ha stream, causing the water to turn red all year round.
People talk about the pollution of Cha Ha stream water.
Mr. Can Song Hao, 59 years old, has lived in Xieng Nua village, Yen Na commune for more than 20 years, lamented: "Back then, the water of Cha Ha stream was clear, you could see schools of fish swimming happily in the bottom of the stream. Every village along the stream had a bathing spot, it was very fun in the afternoon. But nearly ten years ago, since the gold mining boom, the entire stream bed became bumpy and lost all traces, fish and shrimp had no place to hide. Now, every time people wade across Cha Ha stream, it is a torture for the people here, everyone's hands and feet are red, itchy, and ulcerated. In many sections, people have to build temporary bridges to cross. Ms. Vi Thi Lieu, Canh Tong village, Yen Tinh commune said: "My house is near the stream, but now there is no water to bathe, wash clothes, using water from Cha Ha stream makes everyone afraid of getting sick. Sometimes we have to wait for rain to have water to bathe, it is so miserable.
Leaving Yen Tinh, we walked along Cha Ha stream to Yen Hoa commune, Tuong Duong district. The whole commune has 4 villages of Kho Mu people with 270 households, more than 900 people living next to Cha Ha stream. When asked about the pollution of Cha Ha stream, Mr. Lo Thai Sinh - Chairman of Yen Hoa commune said: "In recent years, Yen Hoa has received investment from the State in a self-flowing domestic water system for the people. However, water in Cha Ha stream still plays a major role in local economic development. However, while in the past, both sides of the rice fields were lush, now many places are deserted due to lack of water."
We continued our journey up to Phu Phen peak, after more than 2 hours of hiking through the forest with steep and winding slopes. We arrived at the top of the sky. Here, in addition to the illegal gold mining by the locals, the Thu Do Company has been exploring for a long time. Around the high mountain slopes, there are 3-4 gold mining teams operating at full capacity. The amount of water used daily to select gold from the veins is very large but is completely untreated. At the time we arrived, the wastewater pit at the mining site was crudely made by lining a tarp underneath and was filled with murky, untreated water, while the gold sorting machines were still discharging wastewater into the ravine.
The above situation not only occurs at the mining site of Thu Do Company but also occurs at many other locations, especially at illegal mining sites of gold thieves and bandits in Tuong Duong and Que Phong areas.
We discussed the concerns of the people living along Cha Ha stream and the situation of wastewater being discharged directly into the environment at Phu Phen peak with Mr. Kha Van Ot - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Tuong Duong district. Mr. Ot said that currently, due to lack of equipment and human resources, the district has not been able to determine the level of pollution at the above locations.
Every day, every hour, people are having to live with the consequences of gold mining pollution. More than anyone else, the people who have spent their whole lives by the Cha Ha stream are waiting. "When will the Cha Ha stream be green again?"
Reporter Group
