Dien Chau District People's Committee inspects and handles pollution problems from craft villages

(Baonghean) - Nghe An Newspaper, issues dated April 1, 2015 and April 6, 2015, had an article warning about pollution from craft villages, reflecting: “The activities of craft villages contribute positively to the socio-economic development of the locality. However, the environmental treatment in many production facilities, which are mainly manual, has led to serious consequences of environmental pollution. These include the seafood processing village in Ngoc Van hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune, the seafood processing village in Dien Bich commune, and the Huynh Duong noodle village in Dien Quang commune.”

To clarify the content reported by Nghe An newspaper, Dien Chau District People's Committee has inspected and verified the above content and on May 11, 2015 issued Official Dispatch No. 70/UBND-TNMT with the following content:

The wastewater reservoir in Ngoc Van hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau) is heavily polluted.

I. For Ngoc Van seafood processing village.

1. Inspection and verification results The issue raised in the report that Ngoc Van seafood processing village, Dien Ngoc commune, causes environmental pollution is true.

Dien Ngoc is a coastal commune of Dien Chau district with a natural area of ​​300.31 hectares, with a population of more than 14 thousand people, the main occupation is fishing. In recent years, with the attention of the Party and the State, Dien Ngoc has been invested in developing fishing and processing seafood, especially the Provincial People's Committee has allowed the construction of a fishing port in Dien Ngoc commune.

On July 24, 2006, the Provincial People's Committee approved the project: Construction of infrastructure for seafood processing village in Ngoc Van hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune and the Dien Chau District People's Committee approved the project's technical economic report in Decision No. 1824/QD-UBND dated November 16, 2007, including a biological wastewater treatment pond with an area of ​​546m2. During the construction process, the construction unit did not build the bottom of the treatment pond and the cover, so the production wastewater could not be thoroughly treated, causing environmental pollution. The treatment pond could not function and became a stagnant pond, with stagnant water bubbling and emitting a foul odor. Therefore, the environmental pollution here has affected the lives of the surrounding people.

The craft village is planned with a total area of ​​20185.6m2. Most of the production facilities are developed in the direction of spontaneous craft villages, mainly household production and business. The production process of the households is almost manual, some large-scale production facilities have a treatment system but it is still rudimentary, not thoroughly treating the polluted wastewater and discharging it directly into the natural environment. In addition, some leftover materials and fish sauce are exposed on both sides of the road, causing a bad smell.

2. Remedial measures

Dien Ngoc is a commune with a small land area and a large population, the main industry is seafood exploitation and processing. In the process of development, there is no planning, appropriate scale combined with basic architecture. Therefore, environmental pollution is inevitable. To gradually overcome this, the District People's Committee has proposed to the Provincial People's Committee, departments and branches to survey and agree to implement 2 projects:

1. The Lach Van Fishing Port Upgrading and Renovation Project was approved by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Decision No. 698/QD-NN&PTNT dated March 30, 2012 and Decision No. 04/QD-BNN&PTNT dated April 9, 2012 on approving the handbook for implementing the Coastal Resources Project for Sustainable Development. The project is currently underway.

2. The project to invest in the construction of a waste treatment system for the Ngoc Van seafood processing village, Dien Ngoc commune, has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee to establish an investment project in Decision No. 3322/QD.UBND-CNTM dated July 17, 2014, with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment as the investor.

These two projects, once completed, will contribute to reducing environmental pollution in Dien Ngoc commune.

In the immediate future, the District People's Committee is focusing on directing the People's Committee of Dien Ngoc commune and specialized departments to focus on propagating and mobilizing people and businesses to be aware of their responsibility in protecting the common environment, and coordinating with the People's Committee of Dien Ngoc commune to inspect and handle production and business households that do not comply with environmental protection regulations as committed in the environmental protection commitment that has been confirmed by the District People's Committee.

Direct the People's Committee of Dien Ngoc commune to regularly inspect and handle individuals and organizations that violate the regulations on discharging waste and wastewater into the environment, causing environmental pollution and affecting the daily life of the people. In particular, it is strictly forbidden to expose and discharge fish sauce on residential roads.

For wastewater treatment ponds: The District People's Committee directs the Commune People's Committee to purchase chemicals for periodic treatment to reduce the concentration of pollutants in the water and limit odors. However, this is only a temporary solution.

3. Recommendations

The District People's Committee proposed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to speed up the progress of the Lach Van Fishing Port Upgrade and Renovation Project.

The District People's Committee proposed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to quickly promote the investment project to build a waste treatment system for Ngoc Van Seafood Processing Village, Dien Ngoc Commune, according to the approved schedule.

II. For Hai Dong Seafood Processing Village, Dien Bich Commune.

Hai Dong seafood processing village, Dien Bich commune was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee in 2003. Including about 250 households, however, currently Hai Dong craft village has only 12 households producing according to traditional methods scattered throughout the commune. The main products are fish sauce, shrimp paste,...

The Nghe An newspaper's reflection is well-founded. However, the level of pollution is not large. In the coming time, the District People's Committee will coordinate with the Commune People's Committee to inspect and supervise the environmental protection work of households in the craft village.

III. For Huynh Duong vermicelli and cake village, Dien Quang commune.

1. Test and verification results

The newspaper's claim that Huynh Duong noodle village pollutes the environment is well-founded. The wastewater is black and smells bad.

Huynh Duong vermicelli and cake village has 312 households, of which more than 100 households make vermicelli. Households mainly do it manually, 10 households use machines. Households producing vermicelli directly discharge untreated wastewater into the canal system in the village. Some sections of the canal system in the village have not been built with concrete, so the wastewater seeps into the ground, affecting the soil environment. The entire canal system has no cover, so the stench from the wastewater affects the lives and health of the people. The wastewater flows through the canal system, partly into the river, partly into the fields, affecting the water source, affecting the agricultural production of the people in the area.

2. Processing results

The Commune People's Committee has developed a project "Skilled mass mobilization on environmental sanitation in Village 3" and assigned the Commune Women's Union to clean the ditch area and regularly flush the water to limit the stench.

To gradually overcome the problem, the District People's Committee recommends to the Provincial People's Committee, departments and branches to pay attention to implementing the project: "Huynh Duong vermicelli and cake village infrastructure" which has been allowed by the Provincial People's Committee to prepare an economic and technical report in Decision No. 3034/QD.UBND-DTXD dated July 17, 2013. This project, after completion, will contribute to reducing environmental pollution in Huynh Duong vermicelli and cake village.

In the immediate future, the District People's Committee is focusing on directing the People's Committee of Dien Quang Commune and specialized departments to focus on propagating and mobilizing households making vermicelli to be aware of their responsibility in protecting the general environment. Households making vermicelli are not allowed to discharge untreated wastewater into the canal system. The People's Committee of Dien Quang Commune directs the Commune Women's Union to effectively implement the project "Skillful mass mobilization on environmental sanitation in Village 3 Craft Village", regularly discharge water into the canal to reduce odors, organize garbage collection, and dredge mud under the canal to avoid the situation of canal blockage and water not being able to circulate. The People's Committee of Dien Quang Commune is developing a project to relocate households producing in the craft village to the commune's concentrated planning area.

Above is the report of Dien Chau District People's Committee on the inspection and handling of the content stated in Nghe An newspaper on April 1, 2015 and April 6, 2015.

Dien Chau District People's Committee sincerely thanks Nghe An Newspaper for reflecting the above contents, helping the district to perform well its management tasks in environmental protection work in the district.

People's Committee of Dien Chau district