HÀ NÔI — Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has announced how compensation will be paid to people affected by the toxic spill caused by Taiwanese Hưng Nghiêp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Corporation (FHS), resulting in Việt Nam’s worst-ever environmental disaster along the central coast.

Under Decision 1880/QD-TTg issued on September 29, seven groups of victims working in affected sectors in provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế will receive compensation. The sectors include seafood harvesting, aquatic breeding, salt production, coastal seafood business activities, fishing logistics, coastal tourism services and seafood stockpiling and purchase.

Compensation is based on severity of damage. 

Accordingly, owners and employees of non-powered vessels unable to fish offshore will get VNĐ5.83 million (US$261) and VNĐ3.69 million ($166), respectively, per person per month.

Owners and workers of under 20 CV  (Constant Velocity) vessels will receive VNĐ10.67 million ($480) and VNĐ5.96 million ($2.68).

Compensation for owners and workers of vessels with engines from 20 CV to 50 CV will be VNĐ15.2 million ($684) and VNĐ7.65 million ($344), respectively, per person per month.

Owners of vessels with engine capacity from above 800 CV will receive VNĐ37.48 million ($1,681) while employees of vessels with engine from 50 to under 90 CV will get VNĐ8.79 million ($394).

Each hectare of salt will be compensated with VNĐ39,37 million ($1,780) a month. Each salt worker will get VNĐ2.91 million ($130.5) per month in compensation for lost income.

The decision also determined compensation for aquatic raising in salt and brackish water.

The provincial People’s Committees of the four affected provinces will instruct owners of vessels or owners of aquatic and salt production facilities to calculate the amount of compensation required for victims.

The People’s Committees are required to review the compensation for affected victims and send their findings to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) before October 5.

MARD will verify the compensation for each locality and report it to the Ministry of Finance before submitting it to the Prime Minister for approval before October 10 this year.

The compensation for the affected will be calculated from April to September, 2016 with funding sourced from $500 million compensation paid by Formosa.

The mass fish deaths were first reported on April 6 when a large number of fish washed ashore in Hà Tĩnh Province. It soon spread to Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế provinces.

About 70 tonnes of dead fish was found in the four central provinces and Thừa Thiên-Huế province alone reported 35 tonnes of farm-raised fish had died.

The pollution also affected over 260,000 people who earn their living by working at sea.

Late in June, Formosa Hà Tĩnh accepted responsibility for the mass fish deaths and pledged to compensate over VNĐ11.5 trillion ($500 million) to support local fishermen and to help renew the polluted marine environment. — VNS