People from villages 6, 7 and 9 in Ky Tay Commune, Ha Tinh Province, have complained about the pollution caused by local cassava processing facility owned by the communal chairman Nguyen Viet Ky.
"The smell is so foul that we can't eat or sleep," said a villager.
Nguyen Huu My, head of Village 6 said, "The chairman didn't announce anything when he installed the machinery. Only when our surroundings were polluted did we find out that the facility had been operating for a while. The smell is unbearable especially on hot days or when the winds carry the smell across the villages."
The facility has a capacity to process eight to ten tonnes of cassava per day and the cassava residues and waste water is discharged directly into the environment, creating a foul smell. More importantly, the facility still does not have business permit since it went into operation last year.
Nguyen Hong Thang, vice chairman of Ky Tay Commune People's Committee, confirmed the case.
"Ky started this facility because Ky Tay has huge amount of cassava so he doesn't want to waste it. He didn't think that it would affect the environment so badly. When the people reported the situation, he halted the facility's operation and we sent police to the scene."
Leaders of Ky Anh District People's Committee said they would inspect the case.
Cassava residues and waste water discharged into the environment
