Pollution has caused the deaths of 72,000 fish in the south central coastal province of Phú Yên over the past month.— Photo kinhtenongthon.vn

PHÚ YÊN — Pollution has caused the deaths of 72,000 fish in the south central coastal province of Phú Yên over the past month.

Fish raised in 800 cages by farmers in An Ninh Đông Commune in Tuy An District have died, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the total fish raised in the commune, causing great losses for their business.

Some 72,000 fishes raised by 100 local households have died, with the resulting loss of VNĐ2 billion (US$90,000), according to officials.

Nguyễn Sanh, a local farmer, raised 8,000 fish, including red snappers and groupers this year. However, only one-tenth of the fish have survived, he said.  

Local authorities took samples of the dead fish for testing after the deaths were reported. Test results showed that the fish died of Vibrio bacteria contamination, resulting from water pollution, said Vice Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee Phạm Ngọc Tuấn.

Local authorities required agencies to promptly act to deal with the pollution by collecting waste from rivers and helping local farmers move their cages to non-polluted waters, he said.

The provincial Department of Husbandry and Animal Health said the fish deaths were also caused by a lack of knowledge by farmers, who raise fish in very crowded cages and breed fish that do not have clear origins.

Earlier in June, mass fish deaths were also reported in Xuân Phương commune, as a result of water pollution and prolonged hot weather.

Suspect arrested over massacre in Lào Cai

LÀO CAI — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the massacre of four family members in northern mountainous Lào Cai Province during a robbery early last month, the local authority said.

Tẩn Láo Lở, 24, from Bát Xát District’s Trịnh Tường Commune, is now in police custody.

Hoàng Đăng Khoa, chairman of Bát Xát District’s People’s Committee, said the suspect was arrested at 8pm on Sunday after being on the run for nearly a month.

On August 9, the thief killed the four family members, ransacked the house and stole more than VNĐ10 million (US$434). When Tẩn Ông Nải, 22, and his parents returned home the same day from the rice field, they found that Nải’s wife, two daughters and niece had been murdered.

Tẩn Mai Phương, Nải’s 16-year-old niece, was found dead in a nearby stream with rocks piled over her body. His wife, Tẩn Tả Mẩy, 22, had been drowned in a pond some 100m from the house, while his two daughters, a 12-year-old and a 20-day-old infant, were found dead in a canal nearby.

Incinerator put into use in Quảng Ninh islands

QUẢNG NINH — The People’s Committee of northern coastal Quảng Ninh Province has agreed to put the domestic waste incinerator into operation.

The incinerator will be used to deal with the large amount of garbage on the two islands of Minh Châu and Quan Lạn this month.

The machine will operate temporarily to ensure the collection, treatment and recycling of domestic waste of the island’s residents, and would be moved to the mainland to avoid environmental pollution or impact tourism in the upcoming months.

Mạc Thành Luân, chairman of Vân Đồn Island District’s People’s Committee, said the committee has directed Vân Đồn Urban Environment Co. Ltd, the unit in charge of operating the machine, to arrange more trucks to collect and transport waste to the two machines to curb the accumulation of waste on the islands.

The incinerator is currently located in Sơn Hào Village in Quan Lạn Commune on more than 10,000sq.m. area, with a capacity of over 10 tonnes per day. However, after the incinerator’s assembly was completed this year, several experts opposed its use in the village, saying its location at the ancient sea port historical site would seriously affect local tourism development. The incinerator’s operation was later halted. – VNS