Central coastal area to get another inspection after Formosa incident

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked for another environmental inspection in four central provinces affected by the Formosa incident.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has asked for another environmental inspection in four central provinces affected by the Formosa incident.

 

A fisherman brought back a record-breaking 150 tonnes of fish in Quang Tri Province

During a meeting about fixing the environmental disaster in the central provinces on August 21, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said there was a need for another environmental inspection in the central provinces. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was given the task to immediately restore any damaged areas.

"The work must be transparent and be publically monitored. Compensation must reach all who are entitled to it while preventing corruption," he said.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, they had issued guidance on building new fishing boats for the affected fishermen with an additional budget of VND563bn (USD24.80m). As of August 18, about 95% of the affected residents in four provinces have been provided nearly VND6trn in compensation.

There are still 11,750 tonnes of unsellable seafood stockpiled, 2.2 times higher than reported by the Ministry of Health in November 2016. The Ministry of Industry and Trade was asked to check on this and report findings to the prime minister.

Binh agreed that compensation payments were almost completed. He asked authorities to support the locals on how to wisely use their compensation money, and make sure that the sea is safe for tourism and other daily activities. Formosa also fixed most of its violations and had resumed operation.

"We must closely monitor the operation of Formosa and strictly deal with violations," Binh said.

Provincial chairmen will deal with remaining problems and must not expand the list of people who are subjected to compensation and support.