The waters of the Bong Mieu River look pristine as it meanders through lush scenery in central Quang Nam Province, but for many households living on its banks, it has become a carrier of health hazards and even death for aquatic life.
Local residents say that many marine creatures can no longer survive in the river and the water has become unsafe and unusable due to pollution caused by gold mining activities in the area.
The residents hold the Bong Mieu Gold Mining Company, established in 2006 at Tam Lanh Commune in Phu Ninh District, responsible for releasing wastewater and fumes containing toxic chemicals.
The company had reported recently to using around 9.5 tons of cyanide a month in gold mining activities, adding that they were also spending more than VND615 million (US$36,126) a month to treat matter contaminated with the toxic chemical.
However, a new report by the Phu Ninh District has listed several infringements of environmental laws by the company.
According to the report, Bong Mieu Gold Mining Company has failed to complete its waste treatment system as previously committed, and has not submitted documents for inspection of its facilities, which are required before a gold mining company can begin operations.
The company has also failed to list the waste generated during production, the treatment applied and steps taken to prevent environmental pollution.
It has not built an air monitoring and treatment system for the dust particles produced by its activities, the report says.
No measures have been taken by authorities against such contraventions of the law.
“Fish and other creatures in the river have died suddenly on a massive scale the past few years,” says Du Van Trai from Tra Sung Hamlet in Phu Ninh District’s Tam Lanh Commune. “We have complained to the authorities, but they didn’t have any effective solution.”
“The company has secretly let out untreated wastewater into the river on rainy days,” Trai asserts.
Local residents say they had found a large number of dead fish on several occasions, sometimes quite near the company’s location.
Trai says no one has been able to bathe in the river for the past two years for fear of skin diseases, and livestock have gotten sick from drinking the water.
Residents of nearby hamlet No. 10 say they have to inhale toxic chemicals, noting that the company often releases thick fumes into the atmosphere around midnight.
“Of late, our children have been falling ill easily after breathing the poisonous air,” says Ung Thi Tai. “We might have to abandon our homes soon.”
The residents have complained to local authorities several times, saying heavy rain could cause wastewater from the company to overflow into the river, as well as leak through the earthen dikes.
The deputy director of the Quang Nam Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyen Ngoc Dung, says the department is only responsible for inspecting the water outside the dam being used to let wastewater out from the company.
“The company has environment staff who will check the wastewater and make regular reports,” he says. “If they find cyanide concentration exceeding allowed levels, we would request them to reconsider their wastewater treatment system.”
Dung also said environment authorities of Phu Ninh District were in charge of handling the cases when fish in the river died abnormally, adding that they had been slow in reporting them to the department.
The company’s environment engineer, Bui Thi Luan, admits cyanide could leak through the wastewater pools, but the chemical has to become dilute for it to leak into the river.
However, factory manager Gerry Calpo rejects any toxic impact that the company’s operations could have on the river. “The death of large numbers of fish has occurred at many places. It is supposed to have been caused by heavy rain and unpredictable weather changes.”
“Inspection results show the company’s wastewater meets the standard as it is let out into the river,” says company director Nguyen Ngoc Quynh. “It cannot be the cause of the river’s pollution.”
The test results that Quynh presents are of wastewater samples that the company itself has submitted to the Quality Assurance and Testing Center 2.
Source: Tuoi Tre
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