VietNamNet Bridge – The warning about the heavy price people would have to pay for the rapid industrial production development was given many years ago. However, no improvement in the living environment has been made so far.



When buffalos “disdain” well’s water

It was very hot in early summer. However, it was even more terrible in Dai Son commune of Do Luong District in the central province of Nghe An, partially because of too many dead fish floating on the Cho Ran lake surface, and because of the terrible smell coming from the Thai Duong pig farm.

Local residents in the commune said buffalos now also refuse to drink the water from the well.

Dang Ba Hao in hamlet 10 of Dai Son commune related that when he came to the Cho Ran Lake near the Thai Duong pig farm to pump water for the rice field irrigation, he saw the black water and smelt terrible smells. Hao understood that if watering the rice fields with the dirty water, the rice would die in the context of the hot weather.

After Hao followed the tracks, he discovered that the waste water from the pig farm ran out through underground sewers made of plastic pipes with the diameter of 100 mm.

A lot of fish were found dead near the sewers, which drifted onto the shore after 5-10 minutes.

“I could not say exactly how many fish died, but I am sure there were too many,” he said.

Dai Son’s local residents recalled the previous days, when they could live in a fresh environment and peace. “5-6 years ago, the Cho Ran Lake was always full of people and children who came to have a bath. Meanwhile, nowadays, no one dares to use the lake’s water. Buffalos would suffer scabies if they bathe in the lake,” a woman said.

According to Hao, the pig farm is located on Ru Mia hill, and its waste water has been badly affecting the life of local people.

“I am sure that fish die because of the waste water from the pig farm. There are 8000 pigs at the farm, and the figure could be up to 40,000 in peak season,” he said.

“Fish die, rice fields die, well’s water cannot be used, people feel it’s too difficult to live here,” he added.

Pigs or people have to leave?

Local people said they have been living together with pigs for the last many years, since the Thai Duong pig farm became operational in 2005. The farm was allowed to raise 5000 pigs at maximum, but in fact, there were up to 40,000 pigs in high season.

The local authorities once decided to settle the problem by asking the pig farm to relocate to another place, so that local people can stay here in their home villages. However, the plan has been not implemented.

Nguyen Dinh Ba, Secretary of the Dai Son commune’s Party Committee, said the local authorities anticipated the problems to be arisen by the pig farm. The waste water from the farm with 5000 pigs would “encircle” the 170 local households.

“However, we had to “give a nod”, because the provincial authorities had accepted the project already,” he said.

“Nearly 100 water wells have got polluted; a lot of rice fields have become dead. Local residents, living near the pig farm, have to have dinners inside mosquito nets to avoid flies. We all feel air hunger,” he added.

LD