Checking the pig farm
On March 19, the Thanh Hoa Department of Agriculture and Environment (Thanh Hoa Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that the unit had reported the results of the inspection and verification of the environmental pollution situation at Len Co Noong stream (in Thanh Thuy village, Thanh Xuan commune, Nhu Xuan district).
Previously, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hoa coordinated with the People's Committee of Nhu Xuan district, the People's Committees of Thanh Son and Thanh Xuan communes and representatives of Nhu Xuan Livestock Development Company Limited to inspect the environmental protection work at the pig farm of this company.
At the time of inspection, the farm was raising about 2,000 pigs in 4 cages. The centralized wastewater collection and treatment system with a capacity of 500m3/day and night has been invested in construction. However, the processing - reasoning system is stopped working. Currently, wastewater from the livestock farming process is transported to the manure collection pit, then pumped into the manure separator. After separating the stool, the wastewater continues to flow into biogas tunnel No. 1 with a capacity of 13,750m3.
According to the report, livestock wastewater is being stored in biogas tunnel No. 1 and has not yet been discharged (due to the total amount of wastewater generated from 2,000 pigs of meat about 45m3/day). However, in biogas tunnel No. 2, the HDPE tarpaulin layer showed signs of landslides, with some areas having holes.
Surveying the actual area of Len Co Noong stream (Thanh Xuan commune), the inspection team found that water was still flowing through the stream with a small flow. At the inspection point, the water was cloudy, foaming and giving off a typical stench of livestock farming activities. Meanwhile, the water in the surrounding areas is light.
The inspection results confirmed that the people's reflection on the cloudy water of Len Co Noong stream, with white foam and a foul smell, was correct.
The cause was determined to be that wastewater from the pig farm of Nhu Xuan Livestock Development Company Limited seeped into the water source. This phenomenon may come from damaged biogas tank No. 2 or from the farm's biological lakes, where wastewater seeped through underground water streams and flowed into the stream.
Request to stop importing pigs
According to the Thanh Hoa Department of Natural Resources and Environment, at the time of inspection, the unit had taken water samples from the stream before flowing into the stream and from the Len Co Noong stream for analysis and assessment. In case the test results show that the water sample exceeds the permitted standards, the department will notify the company and consider handling environmental administrative violations according to regulations.
In order to strictly control, prevent and minimize negative impacts on the environment, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hoa requested Nhu Xuan Livestock Development Company Limited to temporarily stop importing new pigs to focus on reviewing and improving the wastewater treatment system. The company must ensure that all generated wastewater is collected and thoroughly treated.
In addition, the company needs to urgently inspect and immediately fix the situation of wastewater leakage from lakes and tanks into the environment. After completing the repair of the wastewater treatment system, the unit must pump all the water in the ponds and tanks into the centralized treatment system to ensure compliance with standards before discharging into the environment. The company is absolutely not allowed to install pipes or any other system to discharge untreated wastewater.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Thanh Hoa requires the company to complete the remedial measures before April 30, 2025 and report the implementation results to the authorities. In case the company does not strictly comply and continues to let wastewater leak into the environment, it will be strictly handled according to regulations.
