It was thought that after being reported by the press (article "Resolutely resolving pollution at a school" - Nghe An Newspaper, May 15, 2022), the environmental pollution situation at the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 would be resolved. But...
On May 27, 2022, Nghi An Commune People's Committee continued to issue Document No. 181/UBND-DC on pollution at Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2 to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Education and Training and Vinh City People's Committee. The reason was that heavy rains in the previous days had led to wastewater from the sewers and ditches of Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2 flooding the yard of the Hoa Hop Hamlet Cultural House, causing environmental pollution. Therefore, people in the area were upset and requested to completely handle the pollution situation from Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2.
Document No. 181/UBND-DC of Nghi An Commune People's Committee stated that in 2020 - 2021, the commune organized inspections and sent official dispatches to the school, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, and Vinh City People's Committee. However, the school has not yet taken remedial measures, causing pollution in residential areas (especially at the Hoa Hop hamlet cultural house).
On April 22, 2022, the Commune People's Committee continued to inspect and requested the school to organize a remedy by building a solid ditch along the fence near the cultural house and residential areas, not allowing wastewater to overflow into the yard of the village cultural house, production fields and adjacent houses. Because if this situation persists, it will cause resentment among the people, leading to petitions to many levels and sectors; spreading negative information on social networks, greatly affecting the state management work in the locality and the reputation of the province and city.
In Document No. 181/UBND-DC, Nghi An Commune People's Committee also informed that in recent years, this issue has been inspected and directed by provincial departments, Vinh City People's Committee and the Provincial People's Committee. Specifically, on November 15, 2017, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment organized a field inspection, issued Official Dispatch No. 6337/DoNMT dated November 28, 2018 on the results of the inspection and settlement of environmental pollution complaints at Nghe An High School No. 2; Official Dispatch No. 2005/STNMT-BVMT dated April 18, 2018 requesting the school to report on the plan, progress and results of implementation of remediation. On December 11, 2020, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 8771/UBNDNN on resolving the petition of Nghi An commune voters on environmental pollution at Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 according to the petition in Official Dispatch No. 7058/UBND| TNMT dated December 7, 2020 of Vinh City People's Committee. On February 2, 2021, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment presided over and coordinated with the Department of Education and Training and Nghi An Commune People's Committee to organize a meeting to explain the content of voters' reflection. On December 18, 2021, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 6628/STNMT-BVMT reporting to the Provincial People's Committee and requesting the school to report on the results of pollution remediation based on Report No. 2/DTNT dated January 10, 2021 of Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2.
On April 28, 2022, Nghe An Newspaper went directly to the scene according to people's feedback, then published the article: "Resolutely resolving pollution at a school". Immediately after the newspaper reported, on May 12, 2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment continued to issue Official Dispatch No. 2648/STNMT-BVMT urging the implementation of overcoming existing problems in environmental protection work to the Department of Education and Training, Vinh City People's Committee and Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities No. 2, requesting strict implementation of the contents of Official Dispatch No. 6337/STNMT-BVMT dated November 28, 2017 and the instructions of relevant state management agencies.
At the end of Document No. 181/UBND-DC, Nghi An Commune People's Committee affirmed that "Up to now, the school has not yet overcome the above-mentioned pollution situation"; at the same time, it recommended: "Recently, due to the rain, water from the school's sewer overflowed into the yard of the hamlet's cultural house, production fields and surrounding houses, creating public opinion and strong indignation from the people to the local authorities and social networking sites. Therefore, Nghi An Commune People's Committee reports and requests the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and Vinh City People's Committee to have effective measures and solutions to direct Nghe An High School No. 2 Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities to handle the situation thoroughly, ensuring the environment and peace for the people".
On May 12, 2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 2648/STNMT-BVMT urging the implementation of overcoming existing problems in environmental protection work to the Department of Education and Training, Vinh City People's Committee and Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2.
The content of Official Dispatch No. 2648/STNMT-BVMT reiterates the results of the actual inspection of environmental protection work at the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2; the Department of Natural Resources and Environment issued Official Dispatch No. 1659/STNMTBVMT dated April 1, 2021 with the content requesting the School to overcome shortcomings in environmental protection work, periodically report the plan and implementation results to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Vinh City People's Committee every quarter for management. At the same time, it is affirmed that the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 did not implement the above requests of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. "Up to now, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has not received a report on the implementation results" - Official Dispatch No. 2648/STNMT-BVMT clearly stated.
Therefore, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requests the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 to fully and seriously implement the contents requested by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Official Dispatch No. 6337/STNMT-BVMT dated November 28, 2017 and the directives of relevant state management agencies. Report the results to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment through the Department of Environmental Protection before May 30, 2022. Also here, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requests the Department of Education and Training to "pay attention, direct, guide, and create conditions for the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 to soon deploy investment in the construction of a centralized water treatment system according to the approved Environmental Protection Project"; request the Vinh City People's Committee to "direct relevant departments and offices to regularly monitor and urge the implementation of environmental protection measures of the Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2".
On the side of Vinh City People's Committee, after receiving Official Dispatch No. 2648/STNMT-BVMT of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Official Dispatch No. 2638/UBND-TNMT dated May 27, 2022 directed Nghi An Commune People's Committee to inspect and urge the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 to implement environmental protection measures. The content is as follows: "According to people's feedback, the current environmental pollution situation due to the activities of the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 has not been resolved yet, affecting the environment and causing frustration for the surrounding people. Vinh City People's Committee assigned Nghi An Commune People's Committee to regularly inspect, monitor and urge the school's implementation. After the deadline of May 30, 2022, if the school still does not implement, it will report to Vinh City People's Committee for inspection and report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment according to regulations".
Implementing the direction of Vinh City People's Committee, on the afternoon of May 30, 2022, Nghi An Commune People's Committee organized an inspection of the implementation of environmental protection measures at the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2. However, through the inspection, the existing problems remained the same. "Through the inspection of the current situation, the school has not yet implemented them but still allowed the phenomenon of wastewater overflowing into the cultural house area of Hoa Hop hamlet" - The minutes of the meeting with the leaders of the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 on overcoming the problem of environmental pollution (made by Nghi An Commune People's Committee at 3:00 p.m. on May 30, 2022) clearly stated. On the side of the school leaders, there is a plan to reinforce the wastewater drainage system and it has been approved by the Department of Education and Training. At the same time, they promised: "Due to the schedule of the entrance exam for grade 10 and graduation exam, it will be implemented from July 15, 2022 and completed in July 2022".
On May 31, 2022, I connected with the People's Committee of Nghi An commune to get information about the document of the Department of Education and Training approving the plan to "reinforce the drainage system" of the Ethnic Minority High School No. 2. Upon receiving the response, the People's Committee of Nghi An commune requested the Ethnic Minority High School No. 2 to provide the document, but the school informed that there was no document, only verbal communication. "After seeing the minutes, I contacted and asked the school leaders to provide the document of the Department of Education and Training. But I was told that after the press reported the pollution situation, the Department of Education and Training sent officials down to inspect, and then discussed that the school would reinforce the drainage system..." - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghi An commune, Mr. Chu Van Mai said.
