The lower part of the Đắkrông River in the central province of Quảng Trị. — Photo laodong.vn

QUẢNG TRỊ — Mining on the upper part of the Đắkrông River in central provinces of Thừa Thiên – Huế and Quảng Trị had polluted the river, affecting the lives of tens of thousands of people.

Chairman of Đắkrông District People’s Committee Lê Đắc Quỳ said the river ran through 11 communes in the district and local residents used its water for daily life.

Over the last two years, the river water in A Bung, A Ngo, Tà Rụt and Húc Nghì communes had changed colour from green to red, Quỳ told Lao động ( Labour) newspaper.

Quảng Trị Province’s Natural Resources and Environment Department last year found that concentrations of arsenic, mangan and iron in the river were 1.72, 6.1 and 12.36 times higher than permitted concentrations, respectively.

Local resident Hồ Văn Xeng from A Bung Commune said his family had lived along the river for 30 years and used the river water for cooking.

However, they had been forced to switch to using the rainwater they collected, Xeng said.

Neighbour Hồ Thị Hoá, 48, said the upper part of the Đắkrông River in A Lưới District had been polluted by gold and sand mining that had caused the river to turn red in Quảng Trị.

“The river water sometimes looks clean for a few days and then turns red,” she said, adding the water also carried thick mud.

Responding to residents’ complaints, last December, the Quảng Trị's People’s Committee asked Thừa Thiên Huế Province People’s Committee to stop the mining activities.

However, according to the Quảng Trị's People’s Committee, they had received no response from their counterparts in Thừa Thiên Huế and the pollution issue had yet to be addressed. — VNS