Polluted stream, miserable people
On May 11, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters were present at Da Goi stream, the section flowing through hamlets 16 and 24, Da Huoai commune to record the serious pollution that people reflected.
According to local people, for many years, Da Gui stream has been the main water source serving irrigation for durian specialized farming areas.
However, from May 6th, the stream water suddenly turned black, blistered, and smelled fishy like livestock waste. Many dead fish appeared floating on the water surface for kilometers.
According to records of functional agencies, many types of natural aquatic products such as white fish, catfish, ray fish, shrimp, crabs... died en masse.
The pollution situation makes people worried because they are entering the stage of taking care of durian bearing fruit. Many households after pumping water from Da Goi stream for irrigation have experienced mass premature fruit drops.
Mr. Pham Van Thuc (village 16, Da Huoai commune) said that on May 6, he used water from Da Goi stream to water the durian garden. Until the next morning, many trees showed abnormal premature fruit drop.
Checking along the stream, we discovered that the water turned black, emitted a very strong stench, and many dead fish floated on the water surface. Households using water from the stream for irrigation all encountered the same situation of durian fruit dropping," Mr. Thuc reflected.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Quang Viet said that his family has nearly 10 hectares of durian bearing fruit in the area adjacent to Da Gui stream. About 5 days ago, he pumped water from the stream to the reservoir to water more than 400 durian trees.
After one night, many trees dropped young fruit. When the polluted water source was detected, the family had to stop watering immediately and hire 3 wells to borrow water to serve the remaining area," Mr. Viet said.
According to Mr. Viet, although microbial fertilizers have been used to detoxify and reduce shock for the trees, many durian trees that were once watered with Da Goi stream water still have 30-40% of young fruit falling off, and some trees have almost all fallen off.
Proposing functional agencies to intervene
Local people said that fish deaths due to pollution at Da Gui stream occurred in the years 2023 - 2024.
Through verification by functional agencies at that time, the cause was determined to be related to the discharge activities of pig farms in Dong Nai City. However, handling was difficult due to the area being bordered between the two localities.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Luu Hong Long - Chairman of Da Huoai Commune People's Committee - said that after receiving the information, the locality sent officials to inspect the reality.
Through inspection, it was found that the water source of Da Goi stream showed signs of pollution as reflected by the people. At the time of inspection, fish deaths still occurred. Functional agencies also recorded the phenomenon of durian fruit falling in the area using this water source," Mr. Long said.
According to Mr. Long, the locality has inspected 4 large-scale pig and chicken farms in the area but has not detected signs of discharging waste into the stream.
Meanwhile, in the area bordering Da Huoai commune, Nam Cat Tien commune (Dong Nai city), functional agencies recorded a black water ditch stretching about 1km in front of a large-scale pig farm, including a branch flowing into the Da Gui stream.
Da Huoai commune has advised people not to use water from Da Gui stream to water durian trees. At the same time, invest in drilling wells to get water to irrigate and care for the garden.
Da Huoai Commune People's Committee has reported to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province to coordinate inspection and take water samples to determine the cause of pollution as well as the cause of durian fruit dropping. From there, coordinate with functional agencies of Dong Nai City to inspect the border area to determine the source of environmental pollution.
