On September 9, leaders of Vinh Linh Commune People's Committee, Quang Tri province confirmed that a fish death phenomenon had just occurred on the Sa Lung River flowing through the area.
After receiving the information, officials of Vinh Linh commune inspected the reality and reported to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quang Tri province, requesting to get involved in verifying and clarifying the cause.
Previously, on the afternoon of September 8, people living along the Sa Lung River in Vinh Linh commune discovered dead fish in large quantities, along with black water and an unpleasant odor.
Mr. N.T, residing in Vinh Linh commune, said that in the early afternoon of September 8, seeing many dead fish floating on the water surface, he picked them up to make food for livestock.
According to Mr. T, at the time of the fish death phenomenon, the Sa Lung river water turned black and smelled strongly.
It is known that on September 7, Vinh Linh Irrigation Enterprise under Quang Tri Irrigation Works Management and Exploitation One Member Limited Liability Company issued a notice to open the Sa Lung Irrigation Works spillway. From 8 am on September 8, the unit proceeded to discharge the Sa Lung Irrigation Dam with a flow rate of 10m3/second.
Mr. Duong Hong Quang - Head of the Economic Department of Vinh Linh Commune People's Committee said that the discharge of Sa Lung irrigation dam is carried out annually by Vinh Linh Irrigation Enterprise.
According to Mr. Quang, initially, the locality assessed that when discharging the dam, the amount of bottom mud may follow the water flow downstream, affecting the water environment and leading to fish deaths.
However, this is only an initial assessment. The commune will report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment to request inspection and clarification of the cause" - Mr. Quang said.
