Bắc Giang firm faces inspection over environment violation

July 07, 2016 - 19:00

The Environment General Department working with relevant agencies will inspect the violation of environment law on protection and minerals by Á Cường Minerals Joint Stock Company in Bắc Giang.

The scene of the Á Cường Minerals Joint Stock Company’s untreated wastewater being discharged directly to the Cẩm Đàn River in the northern province of Bắc Giang’s Sơn Động District. — Photo dantri.com.vn
Viet Nam News

BẮC GIANG — The Environment General Department working with relevant agencies will inspect the violation of environment law on protection and minerals by Á Cường Minerals Joint Stock Company in Bắc Giang.

Natural Resources and Environment minister Trần Hồng Hà issued the instructions following the reports in the media about the company directly discharging untreated wastewater into Cẩm Đàn River in Sơn Động District’s Cẩm Đàn Commune, in the northern province of Bắc Giang, causing serious environment pollution.

The company would face heavy fines if the results of tests showed that any violation had caused environment pollution, as the media had reported.

The company would be forced to suspend operations, its minerals exploitation licence and wastewater discharge permission would be revoked, and it would have to repair the damage.

Since 2014, the company has suffered many administrative punishments for discharging untreated wastewater to the river worth hundreds of millions of đồng, but the company  continued to poison the river.

According to the observations of Dân Trí online newspaper, the company’s wastewater pipe is 30m long and flows directly into Cẩm Đàn river.

The discharge is milky wastewater, while the land around the sewage mouth has turned white and grey and emits an unpleasant smell, the newspaper reported.

The recent inspection by local inspectors and police found that the wastewater of the company contained dark coloured mud and was not treated as required by regulations.

The agencies were asked to report the inspection to the minister before July 20. — VNS

 

 

 

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