VietNamNet Bridge – Northern highland Cao Bang Province's People's Committee has fined a mining company VND100 million, about US$5,100, for a mudslide at its iron ore mine that inundated houses, fields and roads.

People's Committee chairman Nguyen Hoang Anh announced the decision to fine the Cao Bang Minerals and Metallurgy Company yesterday, Nov 25.

The company is a subsidiary of Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, Vinacomin. The mudslide at its Na Lung mine swept into the Duyet Trung Commune.

The people's committee decision also requires the company to remove the mud and finish the work before December 31 this year.

Chairman Anh said the company had compensated commune families and made an effort to repair the damage.

"We are now assessing the environmental impact of a VND20 billion reservoir for the mud the company intends to build to ensure safety at the mine," Thanh Nien Daily quotes him as saying.

* Drought threatens northern crops, water

Drought is likely to affect northern winter-spring rice crops as well as the supply of safe water.

Rainfall has totalled about 83 per cent of the yearly average since January and reservoirs are at just 70-80 per cent of capacity.

Water flow in the Hong and Thai Binh rivers is likely to be about 30-50 per cent less than average for the next dry season, warns Irrigation Department deputy general Vu Van Thanh.

Water in the Hong river in February and March will be under 1m, the lowest recorded.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry has held a conference to plan its response to the drought including replacing 15,000ha of rice with vegetables.

Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry Nguyen Tri Ngoc said the ministry would ask Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to prepare support policy to help tackle the drought.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News