Nam Huong Stream (Quy Hop) changed color because Thiec Ha An Company Ltd. discharged waste illegally!

Mine owner justifies

The incident of Nam Huong stream passing through Chau Thanh commune (Quy Hop) turning yellow and having dead fish was reported by Nghe An Electronic Newspaper on July 2 and 3, 2024 in the articles "Take samples for testing to clarify the cause of unusual fish deaths in Quy Hop”; “Identify the source of wastewater with signs of pollution causing unusual fish deaths in Bac stream (Quy Hop)”.

Specifically, on July 1, 2024, upon receiving information that Nam Huong stream had changed color and had dead fish, the People's Committee of Quy Hop district and the People's Committee of Chau Thanh commune organized an inspection.

At the Nam Huong stream section in the Cai and Cham Hieng villages (Chau Thanh commune), the water was found to be murky, the mud was dark yellow, and there were dead stream fish washed ashore.

Due to the lack of rain in the previous days in Quy Hop district, suspecting the impact of mineral exploitation activities, the working group went upstream to check Nam Huong stream. From there, they discovered that the streams in Lan Toong mountain (where there are tin mines) leading to Nam Huong stream were also in a state of dark yellow mud.

On July 2, 2024, with the participation of the District Police, the Working Group continued to follow the yellow mud of the streams to find the cause. Following the traces, in the afternoon of the same day, the Working Group arrived at the point where water and mud with signs of pollution were originating, which was the mine area of ​​Thiec Ha An Company Limited.

Checking the mine area of ​​Thiec Ha An Company, we discovered at the drainage culvert (coordinates x= 2146222; y= 534659) there were traces of wet sedimented mud, dark yellow in color similar to the color of sedimented mud at Nam Huong stream, flowing along the company's overflow rainwater collection ditch system.

In the factory area, it was noted that the environmental treatment system was quite complicated, with many pipes of different sizes, some buried underground, some exposed, and some outlet wastewater pipes that were connected and cut together.

Inspecting 5 settling tanks east of the mine of Ha An Tin Company Limited, at the settling tank with coordinates x= 2145827; y= 535146, the team discovered 4 iron pipes with a diameter of 200mm installed under the base. One end of the pipe is inside the settling tank (with the mouth covered with packaging), the other end is outside the settling tank (not covered).

At the time of inspection, there was an iron pipe leading water from the settling tank to the environment. The water and mud flowing out were dark yellow, similar to the mud color in Nam Huong stream.

At this time, Thiec Ha An Company Limited confirmed that it had stopped mining operations since January 30, 2024. Specifically, the representative of Thiec Ha An Company Limited, Mr. Dang Xuan Luc, commented in the inspection record: "Currently, the company is ceasing operations to complete procedures according to the provisions of law. The company must treat the water flowing from the mine area every day before pumping it into the slag pile, then flowing into the environment."

However, in the face of the actual site inspection, the Working Group requested Thiec Ha An Company Limited to comply with environmental protection work, not to release untreated wastewater and sludge into the environment. At the same time, the company was required to explain the cause of the dark yellow sludge streaks originating from the drainage manhole; coordinate with the monitoring unit to organize environmental monitoring sampling for designated areas to clarify whether the wastewater and sludge discharged into the environment meet the parameters and standards prescribed by law or not!

On July 4, 2024, Ha An Tin Company Limited sent Explanation Document No. 18/TT-THA to the People's Committee of Quy Hop District and the People's Committee of Chau Thanh Commune. Here, the Company confirmed that it had stopped operating since January 30, 2024, and did not generate wastewater or sludge from production activities.

At the same time, the explanation is that at the entrance of furnace No. 1, there is an unusually large amount of water leaking out, and the water quality does not meet the standards for discharge into the environment as prescribed. Therefore, the company still has to carry out the work of treating, filtering, and neutralizing the water leaking out from the entrance of furnace No. 1 to ensure the quality of discharge into the environment...

Identify illegal discharges

Obtaining information from some members of the Working Group, they suspected that Thiec Ha An Company Limited was the cause of the incident on the Nam Huong River. The reason for this suspicion was that from June 29 to July 2, there was no rain in the entire Quy Hop district, while the traces of mud leading to the mine of Thiec Ha An Company Limited and at the time of inspection, the dark yellow sediment at the sewer mouth and in the surface drainage system of this company's mine were still wet.

At the same time, within the tin mine of this company, there is a pipeline system leading to a cave that connects to a water slot below, where the Working Group discovered dark yellow mud...

With this information, approved by the leaders of Quy Hop district, on the morning of July 5, 2024, Nghe An Newspaper reporters and officers of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quy Hop district went up to the mine of Thiec Ha An Company Limited. According to observations at the scene, because on July 4, 2024, there was rain in Lan Toong mountain area, the mud stains at the mouth of the sewer, the overflow drainage ditch within the mine area have all faded. However, in the stream below the mine, there are still clear traces of yellow mud. Mr. Dinh Xuan Luc - mine manager of Thiec Ha An Company Limited confirmed that water from the mine has turned the mud in some mountain streams and Nam Huong stream yellow. But he affirmed that it is mine leakage, the reason it is yellow is because the water carries iron rust, it does not affect the environment.

As the officer who directly inspected on July 2, Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quy Hop district, Le Sy Hao, said: The road from Nam Huong stream with dark yellow mud and dead fish to the mine of Thiec Ha An Company Limited is very long.

So, Mr. Hao questioned the manager of the Dinh Xuan Luc mine: In hot weather, if we only treat the seepage water from the mine, how can we have enough water to change all the streams on the mountain and Nam Huong stream? Mr. Dinh Xuan Luc was confused, then replied: "Let me go back and think about why it is like that. I will take note of this to learn more...".

Arriving at the location of Cac To cave, where there are some pipes from the mine of Thiec Ha An Company Limited leading in. It is noted that there are 2 rubber pipes with a diameter of about 120mm running deep inside the cave, the cave entrance has layers of iron doors that are locked. According to Mr. Dinh Xuan Luc, these are pipes that transfer treated wastewater from the mine to the outside environment.

Following this pipeline system up to the mine, it leads to a system of 5 waste tanks. Of these, 3 tanks are on the same level, 1 tank is located at a low position, the remaining tank is diagonally located above. Here, it is interpreted that the 3 tanks on the same level are a settling system.

Sludge water from the production area will be filtered here to separate the sludge and transfer it to a lower tank for treatment; the treated water will be pumped to a higher tank, then transferred to the natural environment through the pipeline system.

However, through observation, the system of 3 settling tanks does not function as described above. The sludge from the first tank naturally overflows through the partition to the second settling tank and the third settling tank. In the third settling tank, there is a pump system and a suction pipe with yellow sludge. When checking the tank that is supposed to contain treated wastewater, it only contained thick yellow sludge.

Right on the tank wall, there is a system of 4 pumps with suction pipes covered with yellow mud. All 4 pumps are connected to a rubber pipe with a diameter of about 120mm, similar to the pipe inserted into the silkworm cave...

With this reality, the manager of the Dinh Xuan Luc mine has changed his mind. Mr. Luc said that the waste treatment system is having problems, and the company is currently hiring a consultant to handle it; at the same time, he acknowledged that he had discharged waste water into the environment when it did not meet the legal standards.

At 10:53 a.m. on July 5, 2024, in the presence of Mr. Dinh Xuan Luc and Mr. Le Sy Hao, specialist of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quy Hop district, Nguyen Van Linh, took 3 samples from this tank (including surface water sample, mud water sample, and mud sample) as a basis for verification...

Nghe An Newspaper will continue to inform about this incident.