Vinamit has been caught polluting the environment and now, the community’s complaints have been validated.
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| The waste water discharging system of Vinamit was connected with the water drainage system of Becamex Company that leads to Mu u, Bung Cau streams then the Sai Gon River |
Vinamit produces dried fruit in Binh Duong Province and the consequences of their actions are evident in Tan Dinh Commune, Hiep An and Dinh Hoa wards. Here, locals are complaining about Vinamit’s actions and the consequences of the waste-water which they were releasing into the environment. Police recently caught the company in the act of violating environmental protection laws.
People in the area have long been complaining of waste-water and foul odors but until now, nothing had been done.
Tran Que Thanh, living in Tan Dinh Commune said, “Our commune is a high-lying area so our environment is not affected much by Vinamit’s waste-water. However, sometimes, their waste-water blocked the sewer up. As a result, waste-water spilled over to the road.
Nguyen Thanh Vu, an environmental officer of Tan Dinh Commune said that sometimes the company’s waste-water would spill onto National Road No.14. People from Dinh Hoa, Hiep An, and Truong Binh Hiep wards were inhaling a terrible odor caused by Vinamit’s waste-water.
Vu added that three months ago, Vinamit invited Binh Duong Province’s Department of Natural Resources & Environment and Ben Cat District’s Division of Natural Resources & Environment to take waste-water samples. The test results have not come back.
Tran Kim Hoa, living at No. 16 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Dinh Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot Town complained that one year ago the people were coping with unbearable stench because of Vinamit’s waste-water. They had to cover the sewer with sand bags to prevent the smell then many people went to the company and put pressure on them.
Pham Ngoc An, Head of Street 6 said, “Civilians here have been complaining about this environmental pollution for one year.”
Le Van Lit, Chairman of Dinh Hoa Ward’s Farmer Association took us to the waste-water releasing pipe system of Vinamit.
According to Lit, this system was connected with the water drainage system which runs along Dinh Duong Avenue and is controlled by Becamex Company in order to discharge waste-water into Mu U, Bung Cau streams then Sai Gon River. Mu U stream is running through Dinh Hoa Ward and Bung Cau stream is running through Hiep An Ward.
Tan Dinh Commune was affected by the waste-water of Vinamit only when it blocked up the water drainage pipe system.
“Over 20 families here were seriously impacted by this pollution. The smell of the waste water was terribly suffocating. However, Vinamit blamed an ice water plant for polluting the environment. In fact, the ice water plant released only water not cooking oil and fat. Moreover, this plant has closed already but the pollution continued. Vinamit had not made any changes. Fortunately, they were caught in the act and cannot deny their actions because they are the only plant operating here,” added Lit.
After the waste-water release of Vinamit was discovered, the company has suspended its production in Binh Duong Province. However, environmental officers of Tan Dinh Commune where the company is located were not aware of this.
Van Thi Truyen Xinh, Production Manager of Vinamit confirmed this information. She said their production would be continued when the company completed its waste water discharging system.
Xinh added, “Environmental police punished us for connecting our waste water releasing pipe system with the water drainage pipe system of Becamex without any permission. We have not received any claim from locals.”
Vinamit’s plant is located right in a high population area. The only one way to resolve this issue is that Vinamit’s waste water releasing system should be allowed to connect with water drainage system for the National Road No. 13 managed by Becamex. However, the agreement on sharing the water drainage system has not been made yet up till now.
“Closing our plant is the last option. We will deal with the damage we have caused. However, we also hope local authorities will help us find the best solution to this issue so that our plant can continue operating here,” shared Nguyen Lam Vien, General Director of Vinamit.