Four companies in the southern province of Tay Ninh were shut down on Tuesday for polluting the environment, according to the provincial People's Committee.

The three cassava processing plants and one brick factory will not be allowed to resume operations until they have installed waste treatment facilities.

The companies were originally ordered to build the facilities back in 2008, but have continued to pump untreated waste into the environment despite warnings from local authorities.

* Risk of landslide along riverbanks

Over 50 spots along HCM City's riverbanks are at risk from landslides, according to the city's Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Search and Rescue.

Nha Be, Can Gio and Binh Thanh districts along the banks of the Rach Rong, Long Tau and Sai Gon rivers were all said to be high risk areas.

* Forest violations hit 1,000 in six months

Over 1,100 violations of forest protection and forest product management regulations occurred in the first half of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Fines were issued in 424 cases, worth more than VND6 billion (US$286,000).

* Quarry rockslide leaves two dead

Two men were killed after a rockslide struck a quarry in La Hien Commune in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on Tuesday evening.

Both victims were local men. The cause of the tragedy is under investigation.

Several other mining accidents have recently occurred in the area.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News