VietNamNet Bridge – Gone is the period when farmers kept complaining about the loss of agricultural land, when they had to leave their homes to give up places to industrial zones. Nowadays, they have entered a new battle – the fight against the environment pollution.

The tragedy of the industrial park areas

Every time, when a new industrial park is set up, it would be counted on as another great achievement of the industrialization and modernization. However, people understand well what behind the great achievement is.

Minh, Chi Dong towns and Tien Phong commune of Me Linh district in Hanoi. For the last many years, local residents have been complaining about the serious pollution that the industrial park has caused to the area. However, the complaints never helped local residents clear away the pollution.

In mid 2010, local residents, who could not bear the serious pollution any more, came in crowds to meet the local authorities and flocked to the factories in the industrial park, to ask the representatives of the agencies and enterprises to have “open dialogues” with people.

In the demonstration, 500 people in Quang Minh town and Tien Phong commune reportedly tried to cover the manhole through which waste waster from the Quang Minh industrial park was discharged. The noisy demonstration brought some initial results: government agencies took inspection tours to the industrial zone and released the decision on punishing the factories that violated the environment protection law.

However, nothing has been changed. The industrial park continued discharging dirty waste water. Local residents keep complaining. However, they admit that they prove to be lonely in the fight for the right to breath.

Ngo Van Minh, a retired army officer, a resident in Quang Minh town said that the complaints prove to be in vain. Factories just had to pay fines, and then continue polluting the environment. “We get discouraged. We lose in the fight,” he said.

Ten years ago, Ap Tre hamlet in Quang Minh town was a fertile rice field, while the canal was described as the god’s gift, because it provided water for irrigation and drainage. Local residents also used the water from the canal for their daily lives.

However, nowadays, the canal is now reeking terribly, poisoning the local residents’ life, all day and night. They have to breathe the terrible atmosphere to live, while the water from wells now can be used only for watering gardens.

The dirty water discharged from the industrial park has caused the death to creatures. Rau muong (spinach), weed, water hyacinth all get black or yellow, while the water pumped into the field look like soap bubble. Even eichnoria which is believed to survive in dirty environments, also cannot survive in the dirty environment.

Minh said that some years ago, local residents whispered in each others’ ears that the smell from the canal was really terrible, but it helped treat the sleepless disease. However, even though they slept much, they got pale and sick. Later, when they came to the healthcare center for examination, did they realize that they felt sleepy because they breathed the polluted air.

Fight or die

Ha Van Sinh, 64, seems to be the only person, who still vows to fight for the right to breathe. Sometimes, Sinh came to meet local residents, persuading them to contribute 10,000 dong, so that he can buy cement which will be used to cover the manholes. However, most local residents have doubts about the feasibility of Sinh’s plan. They say that Sinh’s plan will not help.

However, Sinh still keeps patient with his fight. “Every day, my children, my grandsons and I have to use such terrible water, what we know will cause a series of diseases. But if we don’t use this water, we will die immediately,” he complained.

A lot of local residents have to spend money to buy clean water tanks for daily use, but Sinh does not have money to do this.

A tank costs 12-15,000 dong, and the seven members in his family need 20 tanks a month, for which he would have to pay 400,000 dong. Meanwhile, Sinh cannot earn money with his garden any more, because the land and farm produce all have been “poisoned”.

This is the reason why Sinh keeps fighting.

Source: Nong nghiep VN