Farmers will not receive compensation for an incident which left hundreds of tonnes of farmed fish dead after Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant discharged its reservoir. The incident has been described as unavoidable natural disease-related discharges in the water.

The water discharge of the Hoa Binh hydroelectric dam on July 19 was responsible for the mass fish deaths raised in cages by household in the northern province of Hoa Binh and Phu Tho, causing losses of nearly VND10 billion (USD454,540).   

Experts said that the water discharge had resulted in a sharp rise in the amount of mud in the river so the fish suffered from oxygen shortages.

Nguyen Van Mau, Chairman of Hop Thanh Commune in Hoa Binh Province's Ky Son, said that local farmers had seen 50 tonnes of their fish die, with many still continuing to die in the aftermath.

According to Mau, two days before the water discharge, local authorities informed the households of preventive measures to protect their fish.

Regarding compensation, he said that Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant had discharged water following the instruction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention.

Mau, however, highlighted that local authorities are seeking Ky Son District’s financial support for the affected households. He also hoped that Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant could also work to partially assist although they were not responsible for the compensation.

Dang Tran Con, chief office manager of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, said that the water discharge was totally legal and decided by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

400 tons of fish killed after hydroelectric plant discharges

It is estimated 400 tons of farm-raised fish in the northern provinces of Hoa Binh and Phu Tho were killed after a major hydroelectric plant discharged its water, resulting in heavy losses for local breeders.

As per Ky Son District authority’s report, as many as 35.6 tons of dead fish were found while more than 20 tons of fish in Hoa Binh Town died.

Phu Tho province suffered huge losses. According to director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Ngoc Son, in Thanh Son District, 200 out of 440 farms had reported to have 350 tons of dead fish.

Breeders in Hoa Binh Province had no choice and sold off dead fish at cheap price of VND10,000 per kilogram.

The water discharge of the Hoa Binh hydroelectric dam was responsible for the mass fish deaths along the Da River, farmers said because the large volume of water had caused the fish to be suffocated.

The Department of Aquaculture in Hoa Binh Province has sent staffs to take water samples for test to verify the cause and to assess their situation, said Dang Thi Duyen from the Department.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in both provinces proposed supports for fish breeders.

In related news, the People’s Committee in Tan Lap Commune in the southern province of Binh Phuoc said that in these days, 40 households in Suoi Giai Lake have also suffered great losses as 90 percent of raised fish died without reason. 

Breeders sold off at low price of VND20,000 - VND30,000 per kilogram.

Dtinews/SGGG