Many years living with ashes
For many years, dozens of households living near the rice mill owned by Mr. Nguyen Minh Hieu, in Quoi An commune, Vinh Long province, have had to live in a scene of ash and dust spreading, covering their houses, directly affecting daily life, health and living environment.
Mr. Ngo Van Trong, who lives next to the factory, said that the ash and dust situation has appeared for many years but has not been completely resolved. Every monsoon season, dust spreads along with the wind throughout the residential area, covering the yard, roof and household items.
According to Mr. Trong, people have repeatedly complained to the local authorities. Every time there is a petition, functional agencies go down to inspect and remind businesses. However, only a short time later, the ash and dust situation continued to recur.
What people want is to have thorough handling measures, not just reflect it every windy season, the government comes down to remind and then everything goes back to square one" - Mr. Trong expressed.
He said that the thing that makes the family most sad is that children and grandchildren far away no longer want to visit their grandparents. Every summer, holiday, Tet, if they come back, they just stop by and leave because they can't stand the dust.
Sharing the same frustration, Ms. Truong Thi Bay, over 70 years old, said that at this age, she should be able to breathe fresh air to protect her health. However, she has to close the door all day because of the ash and dust from the factory.
According to Mrs. Bay, many relatives are afraid to bring their children and grandchildren to visit because they are afraid of affecting their health. She herself also rarely dares to sit in front of the porch or open the door to welcome the natural wind as before because dust sticks everywhere.
Local people expect that the two-level local governments after the merger will have fundamental solutions, strengthen inspection, and apply strong enough sanctions to violating establishments to end the prolonged pollution situation for many years.
Factory commits to removing ash and dust before August 1st
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Minh Hieu - representative of the rice mill - confirmed that in the past, there has been a situation of ash and dust spreading, affecting some households living around the factory area.
The factory has been operating for about 10 years, currently has 6 drying kilns, each with a capacity of about 50 tons and a rice milling line. Recently, some dust emission points have appeared during the operation of the system.
The information enterprise has inspected the entire production line and urgently repaired damaged points to thoroughly overcome the situation of ash and dust spreading into the environment.
It is expected that by Saturday, August 1st, all remediation items will be completed. The enterprise is committed not to let the ash and dust situation continue to affect people's lives as in the past" - Mr. Hieu affirmed.
Mr. Vo Van Ngoan - Deputy Director of Vinh Long Department of Agriculture and Environment - said that after the enterprise completes the remediation, the professional department will continue to inspect and evaluate the treatment effectiveness. If the ash and dust situation still affects people, the department will request thorough remediation and handling according to regulations.
