Authorities in the central Quang Tri Province are seeking ways to create new livelihoods for locals living in coastal communes affected by the Formosa pollution from April this year.

Local authorities have assigned staff to 16 affected communes to do SWAT studies in each locality to identify chances of changing local livelihoods from fishing and coastal aquaculture.

According to Nguyen Duc Chinh, chairman of Quang Tri People’s Committee, staff working in agricultural engineering in public agencies would arrive at the communes to do specific studies to examine soil and climate conditions, so as to suggest a proper choice of plants and husbandry species.

Last week, local authorities gathered at a workshop held for those purposes. Tran Huu Hung, chairman of the province’s Vinh Linh District, recommended making sandy hills in the district straight topography and investing in watering systems at the same time, aiming to have more soil for agriculture.

Hung said garlic and peanuts could grow well in such sandy soil. Vo Van Hung, director of the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development assisted in the utilizing of vast sandy areas left uncultivated, saying that communes should develop farms on the sandy land for production of high economic value plants, fish and animals.

The provincial authorities will supply little fish for breeding as well as a maximum amount of VNĐ80 million (US$3,600) each hectare for other costs of setting up a farm.

For short-term assistance to affected fishermen, the province has supplied 22kg of rice per person a month. Local authorities have paid the entire interest for bank loans signed by the firms working in the affected fields.

There were 44,000 families affected by the Formosa pollution in 16 communes. Operations of almost 2,600 fishing boats were halted, creating unemployment for around 3,000 laborers.

Police and environmental officers in Ky Anh Town, central Ha Tinh Province on Saturday found about 14 tonnes of waste buried at the Ky Tân Commune’s landfill and a park managed by the Ky Anh Urban Environment Company in Song Tri Ward.

The waste was allegedly disposed of by the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company.

Relevant agencies collected and carried away the illegally buried waste to Ha Tinh Waste Treatment Ltd Company. Local police continued searching suspected areas where Formosa waste was alleged to be buried. Earlier last week, dozens of tonnes of waste that was also allegedly disposed of by the company were discovered buried in a landfill in the province’s Thien Cam Town in Cam Xuyen District.

The Formosa company was found burying 100 tonnes of waste at the farm of Ky Anh Urban Environment Company’s director, Le Quang Hoa, in Ky Trinh Ward of Ky Anh Town.

Ha Tinh Province People’s Committee chairman decided to establish a group that is specialised in overseeing the waste treatment and waste discharges by Formosa.

The group, led by vice director of the province’s Environment and Natural Resource Department, Pham Lan Son, would inspect and oversee Formosa’s waste release once the company had announced it schemes to operate or maintain its equipment.

The group is allowed to conduct unannounced inspections of the company’s waste treatment processes if found needed.

The group will also oversee and examines the establishment of surveillance equipment for waste water and gases released by the company. The company is required to co-operate timely with relevant agencies and provide data and waste samples for testing.

VNS