Epidemic outbreak, people handle it without control
Recorded on the morning of July 16, in the Dao River and thebig River passing through Yen Thanh District, many dead pigs floating in the riverbed appeared, causing serious pollution of the environment and water sources.
According to research, throwing pigs into the river not only pollutes the environment but also raises concerns about the risk of overlapping outbreaks, affecting public health.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a resident of Binh Minh commune, shared: "The pigs died en masse, could not be buried in time, renting a car to transport them was expensive, some of my neighbors threw them into the river because they thought the water would get them away".
However, the reality was not as smooth as they thought. The pig's blood decomposed in the water, especially on hot days, caused a strong stench, the water changed color and potentially caused many pathogens.
According to data from the People's Committee of Van Tu commune, from April 16, 2025 to mid-July, the locality recorded African swine fever in 25/45 hamlets, destroying 205 pigs (including 87 sows, 6 breeding pigs, 54 pigs and 62 mother pigs) with a total weight of 14,229kg.
Although the veterinary sector has recommended and guided the destruction process, many households, due to lack of means, limited awareness or wanting to "quickly resolve the issue", have secretly dumped pig carcasses into ditches, ponds and lakes and especially the Dao River and the Troi River.
A resident of Van Tu commune said: "Every day when I go to work, I see pigs floating on thehea River. When it is sunny, the smell is very unpleasant, greatly affecting life".
The government strengthens supervision and punishment
Mr. Tran Vo Ba - Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province - said: " Localities need to be more determined in monitoring and preventing the act of throwing pigs into the environment. We can increase patrols, install nets at the end of the canal, and even arrange surveillance cameras at hot spots.
Faced with the above situation, the People's Committee of Van Tu commune has directed departments and offices to establish a working group to inspect and supervise the destruction of sick pigs. Many concentrated landfills have been established. Some cases of throwing sick, dead or products from livestock and poultry into the environment have been administratively fined according to Decree 90/2017/ND-CP with a level of 5 - 6 million VND.
"We require people to immediately report dead pigs to the commune veterinarian for coordination in destroying them according to regulations. Absolutely do not arbitrarily throw pigs into the environment, if discovered, they will be strictly handled, emphasized Mr. Nguyen Nhu Hoan - Vice Chairman of Van Tu Commune People's Committee.
Local authorities also step up propaganda, install warning signs and encourage people to sign a commitment not to throw dead animals into rivers and streams.
