VietNamNet Bridge – Confirming that the water in the sea of Da Nang, Ha Tinh and Nghe An is unpolluted, senior officials of the provinces swam and ate fresh seafood during the recent four-day holiday (April 30-May 3).

Da Nang's officials are in the water of My Khe.

On April 30 morning many officials of Da Nang went swimming on the beaches of Da Nang City. Among them were the Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Da Nang, the Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Director and Deputy Director of the Centre for Environmental Technology of Da Nang, the Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau Pham Thanh Phuc and many officials of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

In the afternoon, Da Nang Chairman Huynh Duc Tho and some senior officials of Da Nang visited the fishing port of Tho Quang and purchased 100kg of fish to enjoy on the spot.

The next day, May 1, local media’s photographs showed Da Nang’s top leaders including Party Secretary Nguyen Xuan Anh and Chairman Huynh Duc Tho in the water at My Khe beach.

Mr. Nguyen Dieu, Director of the Da Nang Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said: "The test results of water samples in Da Nang is normal so I and others are assured to go swimming. The government will regularly take samples of water to test and make public the testing results."

Mr. Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, went swimming and said he has still regularly maintained this habit.

Cuong said the number of domestic tourists to Da Nang on this holiday decreased by about 6%, but the number of foreign visitors increased by 28%.

He recommended visitors to enjoy fresh seafood, saying the authorities are still monitoring fishing vessels to prevent fishermen from taking fish from areas with mass fish death to Da Nang for sales.

 

 

Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan enjoyed seafood at a restaurant in Quang Binh Province on April 30.

In the past few days some dead fish washed ashore of Da Nang. On April 27, the authorities announced the testing results of sea water samples, with the indicators such as dissolved oxygen in water, total suspended solids, and mercury within permitted level.

The Da Nang authorities confirmed that the sea water is "satisfy the purpose of aquatic sports and water recreation. The Da Nang Environmental Technology Center released some groupers, shrimps, and crabs on the water samples taken from the beaches of Xuan Thieu and Pham Van Dong and after a day the creatures were still normal.

Many officials of Ha Tinh province also swam at the beach and enjoyed fresh seafood on the beach of Thien Cam, a tourist site of Ha Tinh Province on April 30.

Vo Ta Dinh, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ha Tinh said testing results showed that the parameters of water samples collected from several beaches in Ha Tinh are safe, meeting national standards for the quality of sea water.

On April 29, officials of Cua Lo Town, Nghe An province, joined tourists to swim at the sea of Cua Lo, a popular tourist site in Nghe An to confirm that the sea water in Cua Lo is unpolluted.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Huong, Head of the Management Board of Thien Cam Tourist Site, said compared with last year, the number of tourists to Thien Cam on April 40-May 1 holiday this year fell sharply.

The Minister of Information and Communication Truong Minh Tuan and leaders of Quang Binh province on April 30 visited the fishing port of Nhat Le in Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh and enjoyed fishing on a fishing boat.

The move of Da Nang, Ha Tinh, Nghe An leaders and Minister Tuan aims to convince consumers that seafood caught offshore is safe.

By end-April, around 70 tons of dead fish had been washed ashore on the 200-kilometer coast of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

However, the cause of mass fish deaths remains mysterious. Last week, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said at a news briefing that toxins or red tide might have killed fish.

Speaking at a meeting in Ha Tinh Province on May 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told ministries and provinces to thoroughly look into the disaster, and strictly deal with any organizations and individuals responsible.

 

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Compiled by Linh Nhat