Teachers and students at Cát Trinh Junior Secondary School had to endure bad smells from the Đồng Đế Channel over the past two months, said school principal Nguyễn Ngọc Trắc.—Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn

BÌNH ĐỊNH — Teachers and students at Cát Trinh Junior Secondary School had to endure bad smells from the Đồng Đế Channel over the past two months, said school principal Nguyễn Ngọc Trắc.

The students even had to wear masks at school.

Polluted water from the channel seeped into the school well, which also took on the pungent odour.

“After discovering the well water was polluted, we asked the students to bring water from their homes to drink,” said Trắc.

The school has more than 800 students who use nearly 500 litres of water per day.

Residents of Cát Trinh Commune in Phù Cát District in the central province of Bình Định said the smell affected their daily lives.

Director of the Bình Định Department of Natural Resources and Environment Đặng Trung Thành said the department’s inspectors confirmed the channel water was polluted.

The department submitted a report to the provincial people’s committee and asked for help finding a solution.

Thành said the pollution came from the Cát Trinh Industrial Zone. With a total area of 16.7 ha, its primary investor is the Nhà Bè Garment Corporation Joint-stock Company. The zone houses the Phù Cát Garment Joint-stock Company, the Na Nu Printing Co Ltd and the Delta Galil Việt Nam Joint-stock Company.

The investor has not yet built a wastewater treatment system. Raw wastewater is collected and discharged into the environment.

Water samples taken from waste produced by Delta Galil Việt Nam had 1.6 times the allowed levels of pollutants.

Trần Châu, deputy chairman of the province people’s committee, said he recently signed a decision to fine Delta Galil Việt Nam nearly VNĐ300 million (US$13,000).

The company was suspended from its work for 135 days to improve the condition of local waterways.

Lương Văn Ngân, chairman of the Phù Cát District People’s Committee, said the district had discussed potential solutions with the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Concerned organisations used samples of mud and water to develop a detailed treatment plan.

The district signed a contract with the Bình Định Water Supply and Sewage Joint-stock Company to supply water for local residents until the problem is resolved. — VNS