The central city’s People’s Committee has asked two joint-stock steel companies – Dana Y and Dana Uc – to stop production of two factories in Lien Chieu and Haa Vang districts, due to the serious pollution they continued to cause.

The announcement came from Ho Ky Minh, the committee’s vice chairman, in a dialogue between the city, local residents and representatives of the two companies on Thursday.

Minh said the two companies would have to install air and dust filters, treat waste water treatment and halt illegal dumping near their factories.

He also asked the city’s natural resources and environment department set up a community-based supervision team, ensuring local residents and experts check the steel factories regularly.

Mai Xuan Tho, a local representative from Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Lien Commune, said the two steel companies - which started operation in 2006-- have discharged untreated fumes, dust and waste water into the environment.

“The two plants situated near the residential area of the two villages for years have operated at maximum capacity from 10pm till next morning, emitting polluted air, dust and much noise,” Tho said.

“The two steel plants also buried hundreds of slag in their backyards, and it polluted many residents living nearby,” he added.

Tho also asked the city’s agencies to investigate the steel companies’ solid waste dumping, and he requested the two companies stop polluted production and move away from living quarters.

Huynh Van Tan, the director of Dana Y company, confessed that the company’s steel plant released untreated fumes and dust into the environment as well as dumping slag at the company’s yard.

Le Minh Phu, a local resident, said the pollution had seen existed for years and this time was so serious that exceeded local endurance.

Phu said local administration should impose a strict control on the operation of the two plants, or pollution reduction measures would be given.

Ngu Choi, 60, a villager in Van Duong 2 village, said that pollution would be a major cause of cancer and skin disease among local residents for years.

He said farm produce in the two villages also suffered heavy losses and damages due to polluted air and dusty crops.

The vice chairman of the city also asked the construction department to plan a resettlement for local residents and the two plants to assigned industrial zones.

According to report from the natural resources and environment department, Dana Y company’s steel plant was built on 15ha in Hoa Khanh Bac in Lien Chieu district with a capacity of 630,000 tonnes of pig-iron and hot-rolled steel for construction.

Meanwhile, Dana Uc company was built in Hoa Vang District with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes of pig-iron and construction steel each year.

The two plants were built in two districts, but it mainly polluted the community in the two villages in Hoa Lien Commune of Hoa Vang District.

VNS