Sludge dam collapse incident: A series of administrative procedure violations

(Baonghean.vn) – Checking administrative procedures in environmental protection, the Inspection Team of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment discovered that Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company had a series of violations.

According to a private source of Nghe An Newspaper, when inspecting the administrative procedures of the Suoi Bac tin mine project, the Inspection Team of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment discovered that Nghe Tinh Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company (hereinafter referred to as the company) had many violations.

Specifically, the company did not prepare a request for inspection and confirmation of the implementation of environmental protection works and measures serving the project's operation phase as prescribed and sent it to the agency that approved the environmental impact assessment report for inspection and confirmation before putting the project into official operation.

The inspection team of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment discovered that at the foot of the dam's tin screening area, there was waste sludge that was not included in the design and had not been filtered. (Photo taken on March 15, 2017) Photo: Nhat Lan.

The company also does not have a Certificate of completion of environmental protection works and measures to serve the operation phase of the Suoi Bac Tin Mine Project.

Not implementing the contents of the approved Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Specifically, building an additional sludge pond of the second system of the treatment area and not having a system to pump the wastewater after settling of pond number 2 of the second system to the treatment workshop of the Suoi Bac tin mine in Chau Hong and Chau Thanh communes.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Thu, Deputy Director of the Northern Mineral Activities Control Department (second person sitting) inspected the design of the Suoi Bac tin mine facility to compare it with the actual situation on the ground. Photo: Nhat Lan.

Sludge reservoir No. 2, system 2 (the broken sludge reservoir) was put into use before the time the Environmental Impact Assessment Report was approved (January 5, 2013). However, the design drawings of the dam line of sludge reservoir No. 2, system 2 of Suoi Bac tin mine in Chau Hong and Chau Thanh communes, the technical design phase in 2014 was only approved by the investor;

No monitoring of domestic wastewater, no monitoring of mine safety and landslides at the Suoi Bac tin mine in Chau Hong and Chau Thanh communes...

The source also said that at the Tin Refinery and Smelting Enterprise investment project in Quy Hop town, Non-ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company also made some errors in administrative procedures.

Nhat Lan