Police in the northern mountain province of Bac Kan have detained a truck driver to investigate the pouring of hazardous industrial waste in Cho Moi’s District’s Yen Dinh Commune.

Police in the northern mountain province of Bac Kan are investigating the case of illegal hazardous dumping.

The driver, Phung Xuan Nhien, 41, from Hanoi's Kim Ngan Waste Treatment Joint Stock Company, was caught on Monday while he was pouring waste on Thai Nguyen-Cho Moi Road in Tong Co Village.

According to the initial investigation, some 12 tonnes of industrial solid waste with mud have been dumped on empty land in the village.

Local people reported they were suffering from headaches and nausea because of the foul smell from the dump.

The driver told the police he had carried this waste from a company in Bac Giang Province.

Local authorities and relevant agencies took samples of the waste for testing and seized the vehicle and waste for investigation.

The volume of waste poured into this area since the beginning of the month has been up to over 100cu.m, affecting the lives and water resources of the local households nearby. — VNS