Quy Hop continues to recommend people limit the use of tap water.
More than a month after the unusual fish deaths occurred in the upper reaches of the Nam Huong River, Quy Hop District continued to issue a document advising people to limit the use of water purchased from the water plant. At the same time, it continued to request the water plant to relocate the raw water intake point.
Advise people to find alternative water sources
On August 13, a leader of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district said that the locality had just received a report on the results of inspection, monitoring and sampling of water quality at the water supply station and houses in Quy Hop town.
Previously, on July 25, this unit collected a total of 6 water samples, including 1 water sample from the outlet tap after treatment at the water supply station and 5 water samples from people's homes in Quy Hop town. These water samples were tested for 33 parameters according to the capacity of Nghe An CDC.
As of August 9, the test results showed that 1 water sample at the water supply station and 4 samples taken at private homes met the parameters; 1 sample taken at a private home did not meet the parameters, with the failed parameter being turbidity of 2.21 NTU, while the allowable limit is 2 NTU. The parameters of heavy metals and organic compounds containing nitrogen in the water samples were all within the allowable limits.
However, according to the investigation of Nghe An Newspaper reporters, among the 33 parameters mentioned above, there is no test index for arsenic. Meanwhile, this is one of the parameters that repeatedly exceeded the high threshold when the authorities took water samples from the upper Nam Huong River for testing. Nam Huong is the raw water source of the water supply station. In the latest water sampling on July 8 in the upper Nam Huong, the arsenic index exceeded the allowable threshold by 5.4 times.
Also on August 9, Mr. Nguyen Trung Dung - Vice Chairman of Quy Hop Town People's Committee, signed a document on restricting the use of water sources from the town's water plant and Nam Huong River in daily life and sent it to the block leaders and organizations in the area.
This document is implemented according to the Official Dispatch dated August 7, 2024 of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district on the inspection and handling of the case reported by Nghe An Electronic Newspaper. The content of the dispatch stated: "Nghe An Electronic Newspaper on July 12 published an article "The concern of thousands of households in Quy Hop about polluted domestic water sources" reflecting: For many years, the local government as well as people in the town have regularly petitioned the water plant to change the input water source to sell to people for domestic use, because the Nam Huong river has been polluted. Recently, people have become even more confused when the upstream of this river has been suffocated, causing massive fish deaths".
Therefore, the District People's Committee directed the People's Committee of Quy Hop town to propagate to people to limit the use of water sources from the town's water plant and Nam Huong river in daily life.
“The Town People's Committee requests the executive committee of 16 blocks to widely propagate to all people, on the block loudspeakers to let people know, limit the use of water sources from the town water plant and Nam Huong river in daily life. At the same time, use some other alternative sources such as bottled water, wells and some other clean water sources. Urgently fix the water source hygiene, clear the flow to clean the water environment”, the document of the Quy Hop Town People's Committee stated.
Currently, in Quy Hop town, there are about 2,400 households having to buy domestic water from Quy Hop town Water Supply Station.
Before Nghe An Newspaper reported, at the beginning of 2017, in Quy Hop district, there was a dam break in the settling tank of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company and fish died along Nam Huong stream in Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, Chau Quang communes; the problem of polluted domestic water for thousands of households was raised, especially the input water source of Quy Hop town water plant providing domestic water for Quy Hop town people.
Mr. Quan Vi Giang - Vice Chairman of Quy Hop District People's Committee
“The People's Committee of Quy Hop district has repeatedly requested Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company, requested the Provincial People's Committee, relevant departments and branches to handle and direct Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company (owner of Quy Hop Water Plant) to relocate the input water source (from Nam Huong stream to Nam Choong stream, the input connection point in Chau Dinh commune, Quy Hop district, which has been surveyed, selected location, and analyzed to meet the permitted standards). However, up to now, it has not been considered by the Provincial People's Committee and Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company has not relocated the input water source as requested by the District People's Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The above request is expressed by Official Dispatch No. 544/UBNDTNMT dated July 10, 2018 of the District People's Committee on the request to soon relocate the input water source of Quy Hop town Water Plant; Official Dispatch No. 774/UBND-TNMT dated September 11, 2019 on the recommendation of the input water source of the Quy Hop Water Supply Station Quy Hop town water is contaminated with heavy metals exceeding the standard; Official Dispatch No. 1510/STNMTNBHD dated March 28, 2018 of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment on handling the raw water source input for Quy Hop District Water Supply Station; Official Dispatch No. 4829/STNMT-NBHD dated August 30, 2019 of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment on the quality of raw water source supplying water to Quy Hop Water Supply Station for the second time", the reply document of Quy Hop District People's Committee stated.
Continue to propose relocating the water source
According to the leader of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district, recently, the issue of the input water source of Quy Hop town water plant has received attention from the people. Specifically, on July 1, 2024, the People's Committee of the district received information reflecting on Facebook "Hoang Hung" about dead fish in the stream area flowing through Ban Cai hamlet, Chau Thanh commune.
The People's Committee of Quy Hop district has promptly reported on the unusual fish deaths along Nam Huong stream to the Provincial People's Committee, departments, branches and sectors to help the District People's Committee find the cause of the above fish deaths; issued Official Dispatch No. 259/UBND-TNMT dated July 3, 2024 on restricting the use of Nam Huong stream water to the People's Committees of Chau Thanh, Chau Cuong, Chau Quang communes, Quy Hop town and Quy Hop Water Plant. At the same time, the People's Committee of Quy Hop district coordinated with the Provincial People's Committee, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and District Police to conduct inspections and find the cause of the above fish deaths.
After informationNghe An electronic newspaper reflectsThe District People's Committee assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Health to coordinate with the People's Committee of Quy Hop town to conduct an on-site inspection and found that the above content is true.
Regarding the recent phenomenon of fish dying on Nam Huong stream, the District People's Committee is coordinating with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the District Police to find out the cause. At the same time, it has reported the initial inspection results and causes to the District People's Council regarding the case of waste discharge causing environmental pollution by Thiec Ha An Company Limited so that the District People's Council and voters can know in Report No. 281/BC-UBND dated July 15, 2024. On July 26, 2024, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 5136/STNMT-BVMT on handling the case of unusual fish deaths in Chau Thanh commune, Quy Hop district to the People's Committee of Nghe An province.
In which there is a conclusion: The fact that Ha An Tin Company Limited pumps wastewater from the mine (after being treated and settled through settling tanks) into the casto cave (the old tin mining pit of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company) and flows out by itself at the source of Bac stream, Chau Thanh commune, still sticking to the dark yellow color in the ditch and rainwater drainage ditch of Ha An Tin Company Limited (recorded in the Minutes dated July 2, 2024 including representatives of Quy Hop District People's Committee, Chau Thanh commune and Ha An Tin Company Limited) is true.
Water sample results show: Some parameters exceeded the allowable standards due to the company pumping into the casto cave (the old tin ore mining pit of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company), flowing into the headwaters of Bac stream (Nam Huong river), Chau Thanh commune, Quy Hop district, this is one of the sources that polluted the surface water in the stream at the time of sampling.
The Provincial People's Committee then assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to preside over and coordinate with the People's Committee of Quy Hop district and relevant agencies to review and continue to synchronously implement solutions to ensure that no cases of mineral exploitation and processing activities in the district cause environmental pollution incidents like the incident that occurred; Develop a full and detailed report on the above incident; including the content of reviewing and proposing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Provincial People's Committee and relevant agencies and units to perform State management work according to their authority and according to the provisions of law; report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Provincial People's Committee before August 10, 2024.
Regarding solutions in the coming time, the leader of the People's Committee of Quy Hop district said that the locality will continue to coordinate with the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to take measures to handle Thiec Ha An Company Limited - the unit that discharged waste into the headwaters of Nam Huong stream (this is one of the sources that polluted the surface water in the stream at the time of sampling) causing the above fish deaths.
“To completely handle the situation, avoid panic and worry about the health of the town's people (people are using tap water for daily life and drinking) when having to use the raw water source at Nam Huong stream, the district People's Committee continues to request the provincial People's Committee and Nghe An Water Supply Joint Stock Company to move the input water source to Nam Choong stream, the input connection point in Chau Dinh commune, Quy Hop district, which has been surveyed, selected location, and analyzed samples to meet the permitted standards", said the leader of Quy Hop district.
In addition, the locality will also continue to strengthen inspection and handling of mineral exploitation enterprises that pose a risk of environmental pollution, especially for companies exploiting tin ore upstream of Nam Huong stream, especially Ha An Tin Company Limited which discharged waste (one of the sources that polluted the surface water in Nam Huong stream) causing fish deaths in recent times./.
