Clarifying the cause of the dam burst containing waste sludge, fish died in Quy Hop
(Baonghean.vn) - The incident of the dam containing waste sludge of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise (Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company) in Lan Toong mountain area (Chau Thanh commune, Quy Hop) broke at 6:00 a.m. on March 9, 2017. The waste sludge flowed down the mountain slope to Bac stream, merging with Nam Huong stream (main stream of Dinh river) causing environmental pollution, affecting production and daily life of the people.
» Priest Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners
The incident of the dam containing waste sludge of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise (Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company) being broken was discovered to have originated from a report from Chau Thanh residents. At that time, "at around 6:00 a.m. on March 9, 2017, local people reported that a lot of black sludge and yellow wastewater appeared on the Suoi Bac stream" - said a representative of Chau Thanh commune government.
 |
| The sludge dam broke and the sludge flowed into Bac stream. (Photo taken from above on March 11, 2017). Photo: Nhat Lan |
Following the information reported by the people, the commune authorities reported to the district for instructions. Because there are a number of mineral exploitation units in Chau Thanh commune and the neighboring commune of Chau Hong, Quy Hop district directed Chau Thanh commune to follow the Suoi Bac stream to determine the source of the black sludge discharge.
After more than 3 hours following the stream, the delegation of Chau Thanh commune officials led by Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, Mr. Lang The My, arrived at the sludge dam of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise and witnessed the broken dam body. And at 9:30 a.m. the same day, wastewater and sludge were still flowing down the mountain slope, merging into Bac stream.
The delegation of Chau Thanh commune worked with Mr. Nguyen Tien Oanh - Deputy Director of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise and determined: At the waste dam area (waste pit No. 2), the waste dam was broken, with a length of about 12m; on the body of the dike there are many large cracks with the risk of further landslides. Waste flows into Bac stream, polluting the downstream area. Chau Thanh commune requested: Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise must stop all production activities to fix the problem, not allowing waste to continue flowing outside...
 |
| The dam embankment was broken. Photo: Dao Tuan |
According to Mr. Le Sy Hao - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quy Hop district, immediately after Chau Thanh commune reported discovering the cause of Bac stream having waste sludge, the district directed the establishment of a working group, and at the same time informed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Environmental Police Department about the incident to inspect the scene to clarify the cause.
According to the report of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Company, the cause of the dam break was due to the presence of underground water at the foot of the dam; the amount of sludge spilled out was about 100m3. However, through inspection, it was determined that the amount of sludge in the dam when it broke was about 1000m3; the amount of sludge spilled into Bac stream was about 200m3...
Mr. Le Sy Hao said: “Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise is licensed to exploit the Lan Toong mountain area, which is over 700m above sea level. The dam system has a capacity of over 10,000m3, located at an altitude of about 500m but the embankment is made of earth so it has poor load-bearing capacity and cannot contain a large amount of sludge.
Mr. Le Sy Hao also informed that the Bac stream joins the Nam Huong stream, passing through the communes of Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, Chau Quang and merging into the Dinh river. Since March 10, in the communes of Chau Cuong and Chau Quang, there has been a phenomenon of fish dying in the Nam Huong stream and in people's ponds.
Consequences to the people
 |
| Ms. Lo Thi Dau (Quang Huong village) collects dead fish on March 11. Photo: Nhat Lan |
In Chau Quang commune, since the morning of March 10, ponds using water from the Nam Huong stream have had fish floating lethargically on the surface of the water and then dying. By the afternoon of March 10, at Dong Lum overflow stream, many fish were found dead. In the houses of people in Dong Huong and Quang Huong hamlets, 7 households had fish that died. The most affected households were Mr. Lo Van Thai (17kg), Mr. Lo Van Tu (12kg), Mr. Lo Van Yen (8kg)...
Present at Quang Huong village on March 11, we witnessed the fish of households continuing to die. For example, at the family of Ms. Lo Thi Dung (29 years old), there is about 200m2 of pond taking water from Nam Huong stream. Currently, two grass carp weighing over 2kg have died, the rest are swimming sluggishly and often have to float on the water surface to breathe. Or at the pond of Ms. Lo Thi Dau's family, about 20 fish have died...
 |
| The dead fish had a lot of mucus on their bodies and were light purple in color. Photo courtesy of the Archives |
Mr. Tran Van Tuan - Chairman of Chau Quang Commune People's Committee discussed that the fish deaths were due to polluted water sources. Mr. Tuan also said that the consequences of environmental pollution have been affecting the people of Chau Quang Commune for many years. Incidents of dead fish and rice fields with clogged roots, not growing, and low productivity occur quite often. The commune and district authorities invited provincial agencies to assess the level of pollution and determine the cause, but have not yet resolved it.
“The death of wild fish and farmed fish and the collapse of the sludge dam of the Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company cannot be a coincidence…”- Mr. Tuan commented.
In Chau Cuong commune, the fish deaths in Nam Huong river also started from the morning of March 10. When the dead fish were discovered, people gathered together to collect them for their own use. However, fortunately, the information about the dam burst incident containing sludge was promptly reported by the commune authorities, so afterwards people did not eat them but buried them.
 |
| Chau Cuong commune environmental officer, Mr. Quang Canh Dung, checks the situation of dead fish on Nam Huong river. Photo: Nhat Lan |
Chau Cuong commune's environmental officer, Mr. Quang Canh Dung, said that the commune has issued a document and assigned officers to the villages to inform the people that the cause of the unusual fish deaths is unknown and is being verified by relevant agencies. People are requested not to use the dead fish, not to let people catch fish, use the water source or give water to cows and buffaloes to drink.
Clarify and handle strictly
According to Vice Chairman of Quy Hop District People's Committee, Mr. Vi Thanh Tuong, the spilled sludge could have a negative impact on the environment of the three communes of Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, and Chau Quang, so the district directed these communes to urgently block the entire canal system, not allowing water from Bac and Nam Huong streams to flow into the fields. At the same time, inform people in the related areas not to catch or use fish; not to use water sources; not to graze or let buffaloes and cows drink water from these streams...
Regarding the cause of the fish deaths, Mr. Vi Thanh Tuong stated that it was due to the sludge from the dam break of Nghe Tinh Nonferrous Metals Joint Stock Company. Furthermore, Mr. Tuong also said that Nonferrous Metals Joint Stock Company is one of the factors causing environmental consequences for Quy Hop over the past many years, and through the sludge dam break incident, it needs to be clarified.
“Provincial agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Police Department have accompanied the district in conducting field inspections, taking mud, water and dead fish samples to determine the cause and level of pollution. To reach a conclusion, we need to have the results of the inspection and assessment, but I think the cause comes from here…” - Mr. Tuong shared.
 |
| Officials from Quy Hop district and Chau Thanh commune inspect the site of the broken sludge dam. Photo: Dao Tuan |
In the face of the incident of a dam containing sludge breaking, causing fish to die in rivers, streams, and lakes, the Standing Committee of Quy Hop District Party Committee has a very clear viewpoint. That is, assigning the District People's Committee to establish a Working Group, coordinate with provincial agencies to clarify the cause of fish deaths; suspend the operation of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise; organize an inspection of the waste dam system of the Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company at the place where Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise organizes mining to have an accurate assessment of the current situation, thereby requiring this company to have a sustainable solution.
“There are many mineral exploitation enterprises in Quy Hop district, so it is easy for complicated environmental problems to arise, affecting people's lives. This is also a hot issue that the whole society is concerned about, so the viewpoint of the Standing Committee of Quy Hop District Party Committee is that if any organization or individual violates environmental regulations, they must be strictly handled," said Mr. Ho Le Ngoc, Secretary of Quy Hop District Party Committee.
The Secretary of the Quy Hop District Party Committee also affirmed that regarding the incident of the sludge dam break of the Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company, Quy Hop will have a clear report to the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee. If this company has any violations, it will be strictly handled according to the provisions of the law; and if they do not have a sustainable solution to protect the environment, it is recommended that the province suspend exploitation and revoke the license.
Nhat Lan - Dao Tuan
