Fishing boats on shore in Ha Tinh after the sea was polluted by Formosa
Forbes, November 16, 2016
Vietnamese officials announced last week the steel plant behind one of the country’s worst environmental disasters now meets acceptable standards for its discharged wastewater.
In early April, tons of dead fish began washing up along the coast of Ha Tinh province and neighboring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. Authorities said the plant discharged wastewater containing toxins including cyanide and phenol into the ocean.
Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group, was ordered to publicly apologize and pay $500 million to compensate local fishing communities, some 200,000 people, that were devastated by the incident.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said Formosa had completed construction of nine wastewater treatment systems, in addition to the three that were already in use. These will be used to treat domestic, industrial and biochemical wastewater.
The ministry has also set up two automatic monitoring stations near the plant, in addition to the company’s own six indicators. An inspection of the Formosa plant after the incident found 53 violations in operational procedures, design and construction.
The tremendous level of scrutiny is understandable given the scale of the disaster. Some experts predict it will be years, if not decades, before the marine environment and fish stocks fully recover. The challenge for Vietnam’s environmental authorities will be to apply similar standards across the country. Environmental safeguards are often a secondary consideration behind economic development.
Meanwhile, the funds from the fine paid by Formosa are finally beginning to reach affected communities. The funds are being managed and distributed by officials at the provincial level. However, not all of the provinces have begun dispersing compensation, and not all of the claimants in the other provinces have received money.
These delays are causing frustration in fishing communities, with tensions boiling over in some instances. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh even made a public call for calm in the fishing communities of Ha Tinh province.
Authorities in the same province also waived school fees and other education costs for families impacted by the disaster. Many children had failed to turn up for the start of the new school year because their families could not afford to pay.
Far from just decimating the local marine environment, the fallout from the incident is also having a social impact. It is then even more important that authorities ensure the proper environment safeguards are in place.
Height Insoles: Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon …
http://fishinglovers.net: Appreciate you sharing, great post.Thanks Again. Keep writi…
Achilles Pain causes: Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this site, as i w…
November 17, 2016
Polluting Factory behind Vietnam’s Mass Fish Deaths Gets All Clear
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
Fishing boats on shore in Ha Tinh after the sea was polluted by Formosa
Forbes, November 16, 2016
Vietnamese officials announced last week the steel plant behind one of the country’s worst environmental disasters now meets acceptable standards for its discharged wastewater.
In early April, tons of dead fish began washing up along the coast of Ha Tinh province and neighboring Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces. Authorities said the plant discharged wastewater containing toxins including cyanide and phenol into the ocean.
Formosa Ha Tinh Steel, a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group, was ordered to publicly apologize and pay $500 million to compensate local fishing communities, some 200,000 people, that were devastated by the incident.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said Formosa had completed construction of nine wastewater treatment systems, in addition to the three that were already in use. These will be used to treat domestic, industrial and biochemical wastewater.
The ministry has also set up two automatic monitoring stations near the plant, in addition to the company’s own six indicators. An inspection of the Formosa plant after the incident found 53 violations in operational procedures, design and construction.
The tremendous level of scrutiny is understandable given the scale of the disaster. Some experts predict it will be years, if not decades, before the marine environment and fish stocks fully recover. The challenge for Vietnam’s environmental authorities will be to apply similar standards across the country. Environmental safeguards are often a secondary consideration behind economic development.
Meanwhile, the funds from the fine paid by Formosa are finally beginning to reach affected communities. The funds are being managed and distributed by officials at the provincial level. However, not all of the provinces have begun dispersing compensation, and not all of the claimants in the other provinces have received money.
These delays are causing frustration in fishing communities, with tensions boiling over in some instances. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh even made a public call for calm in the fishing communities of Ha Tinh province.
Authorities in the same province also waived school fees and other education costs for families impacted by the disaster. Many children had failed to turn up for the start of the new school year because their families could not afford to pay.
Far from just decimating the local marine environment, the fallout from the incident is also having a social impact. It is then even more important that authorities ensure the proper environment safeguards are in place.