VietNamNet Bridge – Decades of improper management at a pesticide storehouse in the heart of central Nghe An Province's Tho Son Commune has left residents living in fear of the impact pesticides have on their health and environment.

The storehouse was built in 1974 by a local co-operative called Long Tho to use as a warehouse, but two years later, part of the storehouse was used for pesticide storage.

Since 1991, the storehouse has been unused because the co-operative's members started to work independently. In the meantime, the storage area has been left derelict even though about 150 kilos of solid pesticide and three barrels of liquid pesticide reportedly remain unattended in the building.

A local resident, who is also an officer at the commune People's Committee, told Viet Nam News that the strong odour of pesticide often fill the air, especially on windy or rainy days, which makes it difficult for people to breathe.

Since it is located in a low-lying area, the storehouse usually floods when it rains, he said.

Flood waters then carry pesticides which are absorbed into the soil and transported to other areas of the commune, he said, adding that after the floods, the smell of pesticides is everywhere.

A number of residents who lived in the surrounding areas suffered from diseases including mental disorders, headaches and deformities, which were allegedly caused by pesticide exposure, he said.

Moreover, he said that residents in the commune's Hamlet No 5, where the storehouse was situated, have to bring water from other areas for daily use because their underground water source is smelly and off-coloured.

The commune authority was unable to tackle the problem on its own so it had asked for direction from higher levels, he said.

Head of the district's Natural Resources and Environment office Nguyen Cong The said that the soil had been exposed to pesticides for years and that the situation was particularly serious because the pesticides had not been stored in proper conditions.

"It's likely that the diseases local residents have suffered are linked to pesticide exposure," he said.

Director of the province's Natural Resources and Environment Department, Chu The Huyen said that the province had recorded more than 900 polluted spots like the pesticide storehouse in Tho Son Commune.

The province has a plan to tackle pollution at all the spots in order to minimise the impacts on humans and the environment, he said.

They are designing a detailed scheme to mobilise capital for the activities, he said.

Environment inspectors have taken soil samples for testing and evaluation. The storehouse and surface soil around the storehouse will be removed while other measures taken to get rid of the pesticide smell, he said.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News