Residential area submerged in rock dust and noise
Attached to Rao Tru village, Truong Son commune for nearly 18 years, Mr. Nguyen Duc Canh said that the pollution from stone mining activities has lasted for many years and is becoming increasingly serious.
Previously, his family opened a grocery store to increase income. However, due to being located on the stone transportation route from mining sites, thick stone dust spread, greatly affecting business, causing the store to close.
From early morning to late at night, many trucks carrying stone continuously pass through, causing the area to be often submerged in dust. Houses, trees and people's living areas are always covered with a thick layer of dust.
Every time the car passes by, dust is everywhere. Although sweeping is done regularly, it is too much, and daily life is greatly affected," Mr. Canh shared.
In Khe Day village, Ms. Ho Thi Mai's family is also affected by stone mining activities. The house is about 300m from the mine area, and every day they have to live with the sound of stone grinders and the amount of dust released from the mining area.
According to Ms. Mai, the pollution situation is increasingly serious as stone mines operate at high intensity. Not only dust, people are also regularly affected by blasting activities.
Every time there is a mine explosion, houses shake. Dust covers houses, trees, clothes drying outdoors just for a moment are covered in dust. We hope to soon have effective solutions to stabilize life," Ms. Mai said.
Many households also expressed concern about the long-term effects on health, especially for the elderly and young children when they regularly inhale dust for a long time.
Dust exceeds standards, local authorities continue to propose handling
According to statistics from Truong Son commune, within a radius of less than 10 km, there are currently 4 licensed stone mines. Stone mining and transportation activities have been continuously taking place for many years, directly affecting more than 260 households living in Khe Ngang, Khe Day and Rao Tru villages.
Although local authorities and functional agencies have repeatedly inspected and handled violations, requesting businesses to implement environmental protection measures, the situation of dust and noise has not been thoroughly overcome.
Mr. Hoang Manh Ha, Chairman of Truong Son Commune People's Committee, said that there are currently 4 enterprises licensed to exploit limestone in the area, including Hoa Phat Trading and Transportation Co., Ltd., Thuc Linh Co., Ltd., The Thinh Corporation Co., Ltd. and Bao Ninh Construction Trading Co., Ltd.
According to Mr. Ha, after receiving people's reflections on the dust and noise arising from stone mining activities, the locality has coordinated with specialized agencies to organize inspections and assessments of the environmental status in the area of stone mines and neighboring residential areas.
The commune has requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to conduct actual inspections. Specialized agencies also conduct environmental monitoring in affected residential areas to assess the level of pollution," Mr. Ha said.
Monitoring results show that in some households living near the stone mining area, the dust content in the air exceeds the permissible standard by 1.9 to 5 times.
Faced with this situation, businesses have implemented many pollution reduction measures such as installing misting systems in the screening area, and increasing watering on transport routes to limit dust spreading to the environment. However, the dust situation has not been thoroughly overcome, continuing to affect the lives of people living near the quarry area.
Truong Son Commune People's Committee has also issued many documents requesting businesses to strictly implement regulations on operating hours, transportation hours of materials, and at the same time strengthen watering and dust control measures on roads serving exploitation.
The locality is continuing to monitor and supervise the compliance of businesses with environmental protection regulations. At the same time, the commune will continue to report to the People's Committee of Quang Tri province and the Department of Agriculture and Environment to have more effective remedial solutions, contributing to minimizing the impact on people's lives in the coming time," Mr. Ha said.
Although functional agencies and businesses have implemented many remedial measures, people living around the quarry area still hope that solutions will be implemented more drastically and effectively to soon end the situation of rock dust and noise, and restore a safe and healthy living environment.
