Work to remove the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co Ltd’s waste buried at a farm in Ky Trinh commune, Ky Anh town the central province of Ha Tinh began in the locality on July 14.

Relevant authorities take sample of the waste for testing.

According to Nguyen Thuong Hien, Head of the Department of Waste Management and Environmental Improvement under the Vietnam Environment Administration, the removal was prompted by a fear that the waste would have possible critical impacts on the environment due to unusual rain and storms.

The Department also took samples of the waste, water and land in the dumping area for testing, Hien said.

The waste will be transported to Ha Tinh industrial waste processing company in Ky Anh town for storage.

Although it has not been identified as hazardous or not, waste removal and land improvement are necessary to stabilise mood swings among local people.

The urban environment company in Ky Anh town is responsible for the collection, packaging and seal of the waste, which was buried in the farm run by Le Quang Hoa, director of the company.

It has to complete the work on July 15 under the supervision of relevant authorities.

In May 2015, about 15 tonnes of waste mud from the Formosa company was dumped at the Thien Cam landfill.

In July 2016, the Taiwanese company was found burying 100 tonnes of waste at a farm owned by the director of the Ky Anh Urban Environment Company in Ky Trinh ward of Ky Anh town.

Earlier on June 30, it admitted responsibility for mass fish deaths in the four central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thua-Thien Hue between April and May.

It also promised a total compensation of 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) to support local fishermen to switch to other jobs and recover the polluted maritime environment.

VNA