HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Environment Administration (VEA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has decided to impose administrative fines on three businesses for polluting the Bưởi River.

The fines total nearly VNĐ4 billion (US$179,360).

Under the decision, which was signed yesterday, the Tân Hiếu Hưng One Member Limited Company, located in Lạc Sơn District’s Tân Mỹ Commune in the northern province of Hòa Bình has to pay over VNĐ1.9 billion ($86,000) in fines, while the Hòa Bình Sugarcane and Sugar Joint Stock Company, also located in Tân Mỹ Commune, has to pay over VNĐ1.78 billion ($79,815).

The VEA also fined Nguyễn Ngọc Sáng, owner of a pig farm in the same commune, nearly VNĐ195 million ($8,743).

Operations of the three facilities have been suspended for 12 months, six months and three months, respectively, starting May 20.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the facilities failed to comply with the regulations on environment protection and discharging waste water and surpassed the technical allowance for solid waste.

The MoNRE requested the companies, both on Bưởi River that flows upstream, to suspend operations immediately and pay the penalties. The Hòa Bình Sugarcane and Sugar JSC was ordered to pay the compensation to organisations and individuals that were affected by environmental pollution according to the statistics presented by the Thanh Hóa and Hòa Bình provinces while implementing measures to tackle pollution of Bưởi River.

Also yesterday, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hóa Province said the contaminated water had caused mass fish deaths in Bưởi River.

The test result of the samples taken from Bưởi River where it passes through Thạch Thành District revealed the water was contaminated with the concentration of ammonia nitrogen (NH3) and nitrite (NO2) surpassing the allowance level by up to 7.5 times. The examination of the dead fish also showed they did not suffer from any disease.

Meanwhile, the fish raised in cages along the river continued to die last weekend, bringing the total quantity of dead fish to 18 tonnes. In addition, all the wild shrimps had also died.

The provincial department of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked fish breeders to remove the fish cages to other places and warned them not to use water from Bưởi River to prevent more damage. — VNS