Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a project to develop a marine environment monitoring system in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

Prime Miniter Nguyen Xuan Phuc in a fact-finding trip to inspect waste water treatment in Taiwanese company Formosa.

Under the project, a modern system will be built to provide precise information on sea environment quality and to give warnings of any signs of pollution.

The five-component project will be carried out during 2017-2019.

The first component will enhance the monitoring system in Ha Tinh and construct a monitoring station at Vung Ang Economic Zone and contiguous areas. Meanwhile, specialised equipment will be given to Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue in the following three components.

The last component will feature automatic monitoring stations, using remote sensing technology, to evaluate atmosphere and sea water quality in the four localities.

Monitoring programmes will be also carried out in the localities.

The region was hit by a major environmental disaster last year, with mass fish deaths reported on April 6, 2016 when many fish washed ashore in Ha Tinh province. The incident also occurred in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces.

Wastewater discharged from the Taiwanese company Formosa polluted more than 200 kilometres of coastline, devastating the marine environment and local economies of the provinces, which largely rely on fishing and tourism.

In June last year, Formosa accepted responsibility for the incident and pledged 500 million USD in compensation for affected fishermen, households and organisations.

VNA