VietNamNet Bridge - The water sources around the red mud reservoir at the Tan Rai bauxite plant in Lam Dong district is polluted, leaving local people lacking clean water shortage.

Tuoi Tre newspaper on March 12 cited an environment monitoring report of the Lam Dong Aluminum Company as showing that the concentration of Fe (iron) and Mn (manganese) in water exceeds the permitted level by 1.4- 2.8 times. 

"The groundwater in the red sludge reservoir area is contaminated with Fe and Mn,” the report concluded.

The environment monitoring also found that the air around the alumina plant is polluted by the production activities.

The dust concentration has increased by 1.5-14.5 times compared with the previous monitoring reports. The dust concentration is higher in the areas inside and around the plant, especially in the areas near the red sludge reservoir, alumina depot and bauxite ore conveyor.

It is still unclear if the underground water sources in the areas which local people use for daily life are polluted.

It is still unclear if the underground water sources in the areas which local people use for daily life are polluted.

However, more than 120 households living around the alumina plant now dare not use underground water. They have used water brought from other localities. 

Nguyen Thi Ban, who lives just 50 meters far from the plant’s entrance gate and next to the sewer No 1, complained that a family member has had dermatitis and sore throat for two years, while medicine cannot treat the diseases.

Ban has every reason to think that the water is now unsafe to be used. The water tank behind his house turns red just several days after it is cleaned. Meanwhile, trees in the garden sometimes turn white as they are covered with alumina dust.

Nguyen Huu Bon from Loc Thang Town, who lives 500 meters far away from the alumina plant, said though he has the water pumped from a drilled well through an activated carbon filter, he is not sure if it is safe enough.

“I bought the water filter at VND4 million. But I don’t know if it can help,” he said, adding that only about 20 families around the plant have bought filters.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Phuc, deputy chair of the Bao Lam district’s Farmers’ Association, said it was groundless to say the water source is polluted.

“This is just rumor which makes people anxious,” she said. “As far as I know, the provincial department of natural resources and the environment sends staff to the locality to examine the water sources every year to be sure that households can access clean water.”

Nguyen Trung Thanh, deputy chair of Bao Lam district People’s Committee, said the quality of the water source ‘has declined’. 

Dat Viet