VietNamNet Bridge – About 200 hectares of coffee, tea and fish pools in Bao Lam District, Lam Dong Province have been polluted by the wastewater released by the Tan Rai bauxite plant that contains sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

Tran Duong Le, deputy director of the Management Board of the Lam Dong Aluminum-Bauxite Complex Project, said NaOH had indeed entered into the environment from the plant but the board had “corrected” the problem.

However, many people living around the plant in Loc Thang Town, Bao Lam District, said they are still not using water from wells for their daily activities or for watering tea and coffee plants.

According to Bui Cong Lien, deputy head of Cao Nguyen Tea Seedlings Company in Loc Thang Town, said, in late July, his company found that the wastewater discharged from the alumina plant smelt pungent and was effervescent and oily.

It made its way into the company’s 20-hectare water reservoir and killed fish en mass. The company thus reported to the Bao Lam District authorities and the management board of the project, but the problem had remained unsolved.

“We have to use running water for irrigation,” Lien said. “If the issue is not tackled soon, we will suffer great losses in the coming dry season.”

About 10 fish pools owned by locals have been suffering from the same pollution. Nguyen Thi Viet, a resident, said, the polluted water had killed all of the fish in her three pools as well as vegetables and thin-peel lemon.

Viet also said she had to use running water for her family’s daily activities.

Many other locals said they were very concerned about the impacts of the contaminated water on their health and the environment.

Excessive pH level

Nguyen Hoai Anh, head of the district Natural Resources and Environment Department estimated that about 200 hectares of coffee, tea and fish pools had been affected.

 “We’ve inspected and found the wastewater was released from the underground sewerage of the plant and had a pH level of 12.6, which is far higher than the allowable limit of 6-9 in Vietnam,” Hoai Anh said, adding that rain waters in the past few days had luckily diluted the contaminated water.

A test made later by the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department showed that the pH level was 10.53.

The plant had improperly stored bags of powdered sodium hydroxide when it exposed them to rainwater, which dissolved the chemical and swept it away into the soil, the department said.

In addition, bags that contained the chemical were placed outdoors and the chemical that was left in the bags was also washed away by rainwater.

Le agreed and said the plant would liquefy the powdered chemical.

The department has fined the plant for violating environmental protection laws and requested it to take measures to stop and prevent further pollution.

Locals to be compensated

Vuong Kha Kim, deputy head of the district People’s Committee, said the committee would request the polluter to compensate those who had suffered from the pollution.

Le said he hadn’t received any claim for damage but promised to work with relevant authorities to determine the losses.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre