Fish ponds full of garbage and wastewater
After the Ngoc Hoi solid waste treatment area's embankment broke, thousands of cubic meters of water and untreated waste spilled onto the cultivated soil and ponds, causing fish to die en masse.
According to the households' reflection, after the incident, water and untreated waste overflowed, burying many areas of cultivated land, clinging to gardens and fences, floating in fish ponds. The water has a strong stench, causing fish to die en masse, mainly grass carp, and reptiles... causing great damage to the people.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hanh (residing in Bo Y commune) said: "In the immediate future, the family suffered about 5 tons of damage to the fish, many were swept away, the rest were also dying due to pollution. In the near future, I will definitely die.
Many households are also concerned that the water source of streams and ponds is seriously polluted, so they cannot be used for drinking or irrigation for fear of affecting crops and productive land.
According to initial reports, the incident affected 8 households, with about 21,300 m2 of cultivated land buried by waste. The total damage is estimated at about 1.8 billion VND.
Mr. Phan Thanh Tung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bo Y commune (the unit managing and operating the project) - said: The locality has requested the operator and the investor to coordinate in taking water samples and analyzing quality to have a basis for environmental restoration. At the same time, the commune will review the entire project operation process to take drastic measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
"The government is also coordinating with the unit to manage statistics of affected households to develop a compensation and support plan," Mr. Tung informed.
Urgently handle the incident
Mr. Le The Ha - Director of the Project Management and Public Service Department of Bo Y commune, Quang Ngai province (formerly Ngoc Hoi district, old Kon Tum province) - said that there has been a report on the incident at the Ngoc Hoi solid waste treatment complex in Bo Y commune.
According to the report, at the landfill of Ngoc Hoi solid waste treatment area, a large hole appeared, estimated at 2 m in diameter, more than 10 m long, through the body of the trash bag.
Since then, thousands of blocks of water and waste in the landfill have been washed away, causing serious environmental incidents. A large amount of water and waste flowed down, filling fish ponds and crops of households, affecting the surrounding environment.
The washing of water and mixed waste also caused the operating house and 2 wastewater treatment ponds (belonging to Ngoc Hoi solid waste treatment complex) to be filled.
According to the Project Management Board and Public Services of Bo Y commune, due to the impact of heavy rain lasting from April 2025 to present, the amount of water accumulated in the landfill has increased. Therefore, high water pressure damages the connection of the wastewater collection pipe of the system, causing water to overflow.
This large amount of water has swept away a part of untreated waste, overflowing from the garbage collection area, affecting the ponds of surrounding households.
On August 1, Mr. Tran Phuoc Hien - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province - directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DONRE) of Quang Ngai province to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Construction and related units to urgently verify information, report and propose the Provincial People's Committee to direct the handling of incidents and violations (if any) during the project implementation process; ensure stable operation of the project, avoiding environmental impact.
Ngoc Hoi solid waste treatment complex was approved by the People's Committee of Kon Tum province (old) in 2017, with a total investment of more than 49 billion VND, on a scale of 6.8 hectares.
The project is invested by the People's Committee of Ngoc Hoi district (old), accepted and put into operation and exploitation from April 2025, currently managed and operated by the Project Management Board and Public Services of Bo Y commune.
