VietNamNet Bridge – The mud that has flooded Cao Bang town is non-toxic because it doesn’t contain chemicals, confirmed the Chair of Cao Bang province Nguyen Hoang Anh to an online newspaper on November 8.

The provincial chair said that the incident at the Na Lung Iron Mining Enterprise is not so serious and doesn’t cause heavy losses. Only one house was seriously flooded and a small area of field is affected.

He confirmed that the mud is non-toxic because the miners only used water to clean iron ore so the mud didn’t contain chemicals. However, trees can die because once they are covered by mud they will not get sufficient oxygen. Cao Bang authorities have instructed the local Department of Natural Resources and Environment to investigate the case.

Cao Bang has many mines and the province has periodically checked these mines to guarantee environmental safety, Hoang Anh said. The Na Lung Iron Mining Enterprise is among the most risky mining sites, he added, so the local authorities have not allowed this firm to build another reservoir.

This mining enterprise was fined several times for violating the rules on environmental protection. It is strengthening its dams and reservoirs, Hoang Anh said.

This firm is a big supplier of material to the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Group (Vinacomin) in Cao Bang. It has invested more than 1 trillion dong ($50 million) to increase its capacity and build a new plant.

“The most important task right now is cleaning up the mud and recovering the stream which supplies water to many people. This is a big lesson for our province and the country as a whole. Cao Bang will learn from this case and deal with it seriously,” the Cao Bang Chair stressed.

The Na Lung Iron Mining Enterprise’s dam was broken on the night of November 5. Thousands of cubic meters of waste mud spilled out. Dozens of families had to evacuate. Mud has covered many roads, houses, gardens and a stream which runs to Bang, a major river in Cao Bang province.

A representative of Cao Bang Environmental Police Agency said that since 2005, this iron mining enterprise has been fined four times for illegally discharging waste mud. Local people also said that this firm often discharged mud illegally in the rainy season.

Local police have been investigating the case.

Two days after the incident:

At Na Lung Iron Mining Enterprise.

Cao Yen