Residents close to an industrial park in northern Phu Tho Province have to wear face masks when they go to sleep to keep the stink of deadly waste-water out of their nostrils.
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| Untreated water from Thuy Van industrial park in the province has turned paddy fields and lakes into barren land. It has also caused health problems in hundreds of households. |
Untreated water from Thuy Van industrial park in the province has turned paddy fields and lakes into barren land. It has also caused health problems in hundreds of households.
No waste-treatment system has been built to treat more than 1,000 cubic metres of water discharged directly into the fields each day despite local authorities and residents complaining about the problem for years.
Vu Manh Cam, chairman of Thuy Van Commune's people's committee, said the park had been in operation since 1997 but had never installed a waste-water treatment system.
He said that more than 30 hectares of once highly productive fields have now become an unofficial storage pond for the filthy waste.
And the billions of dong which farmers have invested in farming and aquaculture activities have been wasted over the past 10 years.
Nguyen The He, a farmer, said he had lost more than VND600 million (US$28,570) because all of his fish had been poisoned by the deadly water.
Ta Quang Hai, head of Vinh Phu Village, said nearly 140 households were unable to carry out any agricultural production.
Hundreds of householders are also suffering from severe respiratory problems created by the acrid fumes from the sludge ponds.
Resident Dinh Chu Thuyet said the "terrible smell" of discharged water filled with the air of his and many other houses, especially on hot days. People even have to wear face masks when going to sleep, he said.
Residents count themselves lucky in that for the past four years, they have been able to access safe water supplies.
According to the provincial people's committee, a waste-water treatment project with a capacity to handle 5,000 cu.m of water a day has been approved since 2009. However, it claims there are some adjustments delaying implementation.
Authorities said they would boost inspection into the industrial area's factories to minimise the amount of untreated waste water discharged. Legal regulations, however, are firm - all factories must have a standard waste-water treatment system
The park is home to 34 companies and plants, both domestic and foreign-invested ones, that specialise in producing paper, foodstuff, oil and gas.