The mine stopped operating, all wells in the 'mineral capital' Nghe An have water again

On June 9, Mr. Truong Van Hoa - Chairman of the People's Committee of Chau Hong Commune (Quy Hop), said that since Tan Hoang Khang Joint Stock Company stopped pumping groundwater at Thung Lun mine, from the end of May until now, no more houses have cracked or collapsed. Meanwhile, all 299 wells of the people that were previously dry have now had water again.

During this time, 17 more households reported cracks in their houses, bringing the total number of houses to 249. However, these 17 houses were already cracked before May 29, but were reported late.

All 299 wells of the people that had previously dried up now have water again. Photo: Tien Hung

Regarding the sinkholes, according to Mr. Hoa, on the morning of June 9, people in Cong village reported that another sinkhole had appeared in a household's garden. The commune's leadership team then came to check. "However, there was already a sinkhole here before. This time, it just collapsed more. So, since the company stopped pumping groundwater, there have been no more sinkholes," Mr. Hoa said.

Currently, among the households with sinkholes in their houses and wells, 5 households have submitted applications to the Commune People's Committee to fill them up to ensure safety and prevent the sinkholes from getting bigger. The People's Committee has coordinated with Tan Hoang Khang Company to support the families in filling them up by pumping out all the water in the holes and wells, then pouring rocks down and pumping fresh concrete to fill them up.

These wells have been dry for more than 2 years now. Photo: Tien Hung

According to the latest report of the People's Committee of Chau Hong commune, there are currently 10 households with houses that have been cracked and sunk the most seriously, requiring evacuation of people and property, and have been supported by the government with a total amount of more than 283 million VND. Meanwhile, the appraisal team of the Department of Construction has been working since June 4, and has now completed the appraisal of the commune People's Committee office and schools. The team is divided into 2 groups and is continuing to work in Na Hieng and Na Noong villages.

“The North Central Geological Team is currently conducting exploratory drilling at subsidence points to find the cause of subsidence. Three drills have been completed, more than 30 meters deep. Regarding the supervision of the implementation of the announcement of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district on the temporary suspension of pumping and exploiting groundwater, the Commune People's Committee has regularly inspected and supervised the suspension of pumping and exploiting water by Tan Hoang Khang Company. Currently, the company is complying with the suspension of pumping and exploiting groundwater. Therefore, the wells of households in 4 villages, the Commune People's Committee headquarters, medical stations and schools have had water again,” the report of Chau Hong commune stated.

Cracks at a house. Photo: Tien Hung

Previously, as Nghe An Newspaper has reported many times, since the end of 2019, many wells in Chau Hong commune have dried up. This was followed by cracks and subsidence of houses, threatening the lives of people. The initial cause was determined to be that mining enterprises had depleted groundwater. On May 11, the People's Committee of Quy Hop district announced that enterprises had to temporarily stop pumping and exploiting groundwater, but Tan Hoang Khang Joint Stock Company still did not comply. On May 27, after the direction of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, the People's Committee of Quy Hop district continued to issue a second notice, at which time the enterprise complied.