Sludge dam collapse incident: Comprehensive review of business operations

(Baonghean.vn) - This is the direction of comrade Le Quang Huy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee after inspecting the actual situation at the scene of the broken sludge dam.

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On March 14, comrades Le Quang Huy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee went to Lan Toong mountain (Chau Thanh commune, Quy Hop) to inspect the scene of the sludge dam of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company that broke on March 9, 2017.

Comrades: Le Quang Huy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee inspected the scene of the broken sludge dam. Photo: Minh Khoi.

At the meeting with the participation of leaders of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment; District Party Committee, People's Committee of Quy Hop district and Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company, comrade Le Quang Huy raised the issue: Has the environmental impact assessment report been approved by the competent authority, so has the company implemented it correctly or not; operated according to the correct principles; why is the layer of mud in the reservoir so thick?

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Due - Director of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metal Joint Stock Company, the company has conducted an environmental impact assessment; the dam part according to the design is an earth dam. Mr. Due said that the dam break was an accident. After the incident occurred, they promptly fixed it, coordinated to dredge mud in the stream bed of Chau Thanh commune, coordinated to count dead fish and complete procedures to support. When there is a conclusion about the violation, the company will implement it. Currently, the company has stopped production, if it is allowed to exploit again in the future, it will not discharge waste at the exploitation site...

Panoramic view of the broken sludge dam area on March 14, 2017. Photo: Nguyen Luc.

According to Mr. Vo Duy Viet - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the responsibility for the dam collapse incident lies mainly with the company. The tin mining license for Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company was granted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; the Provincial People's Committee approved the EIA, but the company was only allowed to discharge waste when it received confirmation.

Regarding this issue, the Department of Industry and Trade will review and give opinions on the design and structure based on the assessment results. The next steps the company needs to take are to suspend operations to re-examine the company’s entire environmental protection system and clarify the cause; coordinate with the authorities of Quy Hop district and communes to count the damage and provide support…

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dinh Viet Hong commented: The environmental impact assessment report of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company was approved in 2013, according to regulations, when operating, it must be confirmed by the competent authority, so has it been done or not? Mineral exploitation activities, when it rains, are taking advantage of the discharge, and need to have decisive measures to handle it. The company must stop all activities and wait for the conclusion of the competent authority, only when the Provincial People's Committee allows the operation can it resume. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is required to take samples to have the results of the route and needs to be urged to have the results soon; at the same time, it is necessary to take samples at all discharge points, mines, factories... to conduct the assessment. The Provincial People's Committee will assign specific tasks to relevant agencies, such as what the police need to do, the role of the Departments, branches, districts...

Concluding the working session, according to comrade Le Quang Huy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee: The incident of the dam burst containing waste sludge caused major consequences. On the part of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company, it is necessary to seriously implement the official dispatches of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee, with detailed reports attached; focus on overcoming, not allowing waste to spread, especially when there are floods; suspend the operation of the mine, only operate when conditions are met and the law must be respected; pay attention to implementing support and compensation when there is a conclusion from the competent authority...

Comrade Le Quang Huy - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee concluded at the meeting.

As for Quy Hop district, it is necessary to re-examine the water sources for production and daily life; pay attention to propaganda work to stabilize the security and order situation; conduct full damage statistics and report full details of the incident to the province; and strengthen local supervision.

Comrade Le Quang Huy emphasized that the province will resolutely handle violations and will suspend mining activities if environmental protection is not ensured; all mine sites will be reviewed to evaluate the entire operation of Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company.

PV Group