Nghe An: Mud dam burst on a mountain over 700 meters high
(Baonghean.vn) - The mud dam of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise (Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company) on Lan Toong Mountain (Chau Thanh Commune, Quy Hop, Nghe An) broke at 6:00 a.m. on March 9. Currently, fish in rivers, streams, ponds and lakes have died.
According to information from Quy Hop district, at around 6:00 a.m. on March 9, 2017, a lot of black mud and yellow wastewater appeared on Suoi Bac stream, Chau Thanh commune.
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| The sludge dam of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company on Lan Toong mountain (Chau Thanh commune, Quy Hop) broke. |
Through inspection to find the source of the discharge, the authorities of Quy Hop district determined that the sludge dam on Lan Toong mountain of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise was broken, causing sludge to flow into the environment. The area where the dam broke was the waste pit No. 2. The broken section of the waste barrier dike was about 12m long; in addition, the dike body also had many large cracks that were at risk of further landslides.
In response to this incident, the Standing Committee of Quy Hop District Party Committee directed the People's Committee of Quy Hop District to suspend all mining activities of Suoi Bac Tin Enterprise; inform the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Environmental Police Department about the incident and establish a working group to coordinate in inspecting the scene to clarify the cause and have solutions to prevent possible consequences for local people.
According to an official of Quy Hop district, “The Suoi Bac Tin Factory of Nghe Tinh Nonferrous Metals Joint Stock Company is licensed to mine in the Lan Toong mountain area, which is over 700m above sea level. The sludge storage dam system has a capacity of over 10,000m3, but the dam body is made of earth so it has poor load-bearing capacity...”.
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| A resident in Quang Huong village, Chau Quang commune collects dead fish on March 11, 2017. |
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| The dead fish had a lot of dirty slime and light purple gills, suspected to be due to water pollution after the dam burst. |
The collapse of the sludge dam is affecting the lives of people in Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, and Chau Quang communes of Quy Hop district. Currently, fish in rivers, streams, and lakes in the area have died.
Currently, the authorities of the province and Quy Hop district have taken samples of sludge, water samples from rivers and streams and dead fish for examination.
Nhat Lan - Dao Tuan
