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Part of the waste treatment system at Taiwanese monosodium glutamate producer Vedan in southern Dong Nai Province |
Vedan, based in southern Dong Nai Province, is also responsible for heavy pollution of nearly 2,000ha and moderate pollution of another nearly 700ha of aquaculture areas in the provinces of Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau as well as Can Gio District in HCM City, according to the scientists.
The scientists, who work in the university’s Institute of Resources and Environment, announced the results of their study at a meeting held on Monday in HCM City.
The most affected areas in Dong Nai are Phuoc An and Long Tho communes in Nhon Trach District; and Long Phuoc and Phuoc Thai communes in Long Thanh District. In Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tan Thanh District’s My Xuan and Phuoc Hoa communes and Phu My Town were similarly affected, the scientists said.
Less affected areas were Nhon Trach District’s Phuoc An and Vinh Thanh communes, Tan Thanh District’s Phuoc Hoa Commune and Can Gio District’s Thanh An Commune.
The scientists conducted the study last February to determine the extent of pollution that Vedan was directly responsible for. The findings covered a 10km stretch of the Thi Vai River that flows through the affected areas.
They told the meeting that they applied different scenarios in their study, including calculating models with sole discharge by Vedan, discharge by Vedan along with industrial parks and other factories and the discharge of just industrial parks and other factories not including Vedan.
The results showed that the daily discharge of the plant ranged from 3,500 to 4,500cu.m, which corresponded to the figure of 3,520cu.m calculated at the time the company was caught red-handed dumping untreated effluents into the river in September last year.
The institute said that the river had been polluted with toxic waste from various sources, including pollutants from factories, ports, aquaculture facilities and activities of local residents along the river. But pollutants from industrial production accounted for a significant proportion in the contamination levels of the river.
According to the institute, the levels of contamination in the river increased consecutively from 1994 to 2008. Vedan began its operations in 1993.
The scientists said levels of contamination had gradually reduced since last year. The latest tests carried out last month showed healthy signs of recovery as the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in river water had increased significantly.
Not convincing
Representatives of Vedan told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they did not agree with the results which they described as "unconvincing".
They proposed that the institute re-examines the procedures of the survey, saying they were unable to understand the methods used to conduct the study.
Nguyen Van Phung, deputy chairman of the HCM City Farmers’ Association, said that not only farmers in Thanh An Commune, but those in Can Thanh Town and Long Hoa Commune in Can Gio District had also experienced and calculated their losses.
Phung said that the affected area in Thanh An Commune should be larger than the figure of nearly 84ha and Can Thanh Town and Long Hoa Commune should be taken into account as affected areas.
Based on the institute’s study, the Viet Nam Environment Administration plans to finalise the level and extent of pollution in the river caused by Vedan on December 11 in Ha Noi.
This exercise seeks to establish a foundation for authorities in affected cities and provinces to estimate the compensation that the company needs to pay affected residents.
(Source: VNS)
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