VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam has a good legal framework concerning environment pollution, but the environment remains polluted, and forests have been devastated and rivers poisoned with untreated waste water. The problem, according to experts, is poor enforcement of the laws.

Rapid-fire information about mass fish deaths on many different rivers has once again sparked concerns about the freshness of the rivers, streams and the sea.

In early May, tens of tons of fish bred by farmers in Lach Bang, Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province were found dead.

Nguyen Duc Quyen, deputy chair of Thanh Hoa province, said the fish died on the Buoi River because of untreated waste water from the Hoa Binh Sugar Refinery. 

Vietnam has a good legal framework concerning environment pollution, but the environment remains polluted, and forests have been devastated and rivers poisoned with untreated waste water. The problem is poor enforcement of the laws.

In January, hundreds of tons of farmed fish on the Cai River, a branch of the Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa City in the south, were found dead, which caused the loss of tens of billions of dong to the locals.

In February, nearly 1,000 tons of caged fish on Cai Vung River which runs across An Giang and Dong Thap provinces, died, causing losses for local households who make their living on the fish cages. 

In early April, nearly 100 tons of fish were found dead in the coastal areas of the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

The common feature of these incidents was the polluted river water, which did not provide enough oxygen.

Dead fish and polluted rivers have become burning issues these days. 

On Internet forums, people have urged legal proceedings against the companies and factories which discharge untreated waste water.

MONRE has released a document requesting the authorities of the coastal provinces and cities to list the companies and factories with large waste generators, and inspect them and report back to the ministry.

The Thanh Hoa provincial people’s committee has reported to the Prime Minister about the mass fish death and requested the Ministry of Public Security to instruct the Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh provincial police to investigate the case. 

The local authorities emphasized that the culprit that caused the pollution must be punished with no compromise because this is a case of serious pollution of the water source, seriously affecting tens of thousands of households in the lower course of the Buoi River.    

Dao Trong Tu from the Vietnam River Network, said that there were big problems in water resource management. 

Vietnam has many laws and legal documents on environment protection, but rivers still are polluted. This is the result of poor enforcement of the laws. 

Thien Nhien