Ha Bac Chemical and Fertilizer Company has been fined VND350m (USD16,700) for polluting the Thuong River with an accidental discharge of untreated waste water that killed tonnes of fish, Bac Giang Province authorities said.
A section of the Thuong River that is seriously polluted by Ha Bac Chemical and Fertilizer Company
Bui Van Hai, chairman of Bac Giang Province People's Committee, fined Ha Bac Company for letting waste water contaminated with ammonia enter the Thuong River, killing fish.
Ha Bac Company was ordered to deal with the pollution and report to the provincial authorities, police and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment by the end of January.
"The final results show that this is an unintended incident," said Nguyen Manh Hung, deputy head of the Police Department for Environment Crimes.
Hung said there was a misunderstanding during a change of work shift, leading to the waste-water discharge.
Authorities accepted the company's argument that the discharge was an accident. Had investigators determined Ha Bac Company deliberately discharged untreated wastewater into Thuong River, the fine would have been VND1.8bn. Moreover, Bac Ha Company has a clean record on water treatment.
On January 1, tonnes of dead fish were found floating in the Thuong River at a section of the river near discharge outlets of the Ha Bac Company. The Police Environmental Crimes Department collaborated with local authorities to take water samples and investigate the case.
According to the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Bac Company had not checked the waste-water treatment system or drawn up pollution prevention plans before conducting tests on an expanded production chain.
On January 5, the company explained it had been testing an expanded urea production chain on December 30 and some valves in the system leaked. The chain was shutdown for maintenance.
The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment has ordered the company to draw up a response plan for potential future environmental incidents and submit it to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for consideration.