Pesticide maker punished for dumping hazardous waste

Pesticide maker fined for dumping

Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company, which was recently found dumping untreated hazardous chemicals in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Cam Van Commune, received a fine of over US$20,000.— Photo 24h
THANH HOA (VNS)— Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company, which was recently found dumping untreated hazardous chemicals in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Cam Van Commune, received a fine of over VND421 million (US$20,000).

The province People's Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Quyen said on Wednesday that the committee had decided to punish the pesticide manufacturer for violating environmental protection regulations, causing a bad smell and polluting the surrounding environment.

The committee asked the company to sign contracts with waste treatment companies to deal with the hazardous waste.

The case came to light in mid-August after local residents in Cam Van complained to local authorities that the company was dumping untreated chemicals.

After conducting an investigation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Viet Nam Environment Administration uncovered several areas where the company had buried expired chemicals and pesticides. So far, the investigators have been unable to establish the extent and duration of the damage.

In co-operation with the province's People's Committee, the administration isolated polluted areas and is working to prevent the pollution from spreading to surrounding areas.

Additionally, local residents of Cam Van and Cam Tam Communes in Cam Thuy District and Yen Lam Commune in Yen Dinh District were provided with two-day free medical check-ups beginning on September 11.

The procedures, conducted by a team of doctors from different provincial hospitals, aimed to see if the chemicals had affected the health of local residents.

The team also took samples of water and food sources in the area for testing and recommended that local people not use water sources suspected to be contaminated.

Report sent to PM

The province's People's Committee yesterday sent a report on the company's environmental law violations to the Prime Minister, containing results from tests run by the Plant Protection Department on 13 samples of soil, water, and discharged waste.

Findings revealed the waste contained Cyper-methrin, a highly toxic substance, in quantities 9,000 times the legal limit. Soil was also found to contain traces of the substance, over 60 times the allowed level.

Nguyen Duc Viet, director of the company during the 1998-2005 period, conceded the company had buried around 1.38 tonnes of expired chemicals and pesticides in 10 areas surrounding the company, from 2000.

The action was also admitted by Nguyen Thanh Nam, CEO of Nicotex JSC. — VNS

VN invests in waste treatment

VN invests in waste treatment

A projection of Ha Noi's first industrial waste-to-energy facility at the Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex in Soc Son District, which is expected to be completed next year. — VNA/VNS Photo The DuyetHA NOI (VNS)— Construction began on Thursday on Ha Noi's first's industrial waste-to-energy (WtE) facility at the Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex in Soc Son District with an expected completion by 2014.

The VND612 billion (USD$29million) project includes over VND472 billion (USD$22.5million) in non-refundable aid from Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO) and will be jointly carried out by the Ha Noi Urban Environment Company (URENCO) and Japanese Hitachi Zosen.

The facility is designed to generate 1,930 kW of power per day, treating 75 tonnes of industrial waste daily. The facility aims to improve power generation and environmental protection by using Japanese exhaust treatment and heat recovery technology to power an electricity generator.

The facility also aims to reduce the levels of solid and toxic waste at land-fill sites while meeting Ha Noi's demand for electricity. The Nam Son Waste Treatment Complex and the facility is one of many efforts to manage industrial and toxic waste, according to URENCO.

Statistics from Ha Noi's Natural Resources and Environment Department in 2011 showed that the city discharged around 161,000 tonnes of industrial waste per day, of which 25,730 tonnes -roughly 16 per cent- was treated. Remaining waste was dumped in the outskirts of the city.

Officials say the city plans to use advanced technology to treat around 4,650 tonnes of waste daily, to treat around 86 per cent of the city's total waste by 2015.

Binh Duong waste plant

A solid-waste treatment plant built at a cost of 16 million euros (US$21.6 million) with funding from Finland was opened yesterday in Binh Duong Province.

The South Binh Duong Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Ben Cat District is expected to not only help improve environmental protection and public health but also attracting investors, according to the Water Supply Sewerage Environment Company (Biwase), the plant operator.

Nguyen Van Thien, general director of Biwase, said the complex comprises of two main parts — a domestic-waste treatment area where solid waste is treated and recycled into compost with a daily capacity of 420 tonnes, and an industrial leachate treatment plant with a capacity of 480 cubic metres per hour.

The compost will serve agriculture in Binh Duong and surrounding provinces.

The industrial and hazardous treatment area in the complex is designed to incinerate 500 tonnes of industrial solid wastes per day.

The cinder from the incineration will be mixed to make concrete and bricks and heat from the incinerator will generate power, according to the company.

The project, which basically meets Binh Duong's waste-treatment requirements, began to receive waste for landfills as long ago as in 2004.

Binh Duong, which has more than 10,000 domestic and foreign direct investment firms, has industrialised and urbanised rapidly, increasing the need for treating domestic and hazardous industrial wastes.

The province is focused on sustainable development and addressing social issues related to environmental protection. — VNS

Projects take stink out of waste issue

Projects take stink out of waste issue

HA NOI (VNS)— Farmers in Hoai Duc District's Tien Yen Commune are learning how to recycle organic waste by re-using it as fertiliser. In the nearby communes of Cat Que, Duong Lieu and Minh Khai, infrastructure to treat garbage and waste water will soon be in place. And under a VND50 billion (US$2 million) project, an underground culvert system will connect a lake filled with waste to a treatment facility.

These programmes are part of a citywide plan to improve sanitation in suburban districts, which have long lagged behind the centre when it comes to treating and disposing of waste. The city's 18 suburban districts contain around 65,000 tonnes of untreated waste in lakes, ponds, canals and ditches, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The city also plans to speed up the construction of waste treatment centres in Soc Son, Dong Anh, Dan Phuong and Chuong My districts and is encouraging people's committees to set up their own collection and treatment groups.

Only Soc Son, Dong Anh, Tu Liem, Gia Lam and Thanh Tri have their own sanitation units. The other 13 have to hire sanitation workers from private companies. — VNS

Commune handles untreated waste

Commune handles untreated waste

The city's 18 suburban districts contain around 65,000 tonnes of untreated waste in lakes, ponds, canals and ditches, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.— Photo hanoimoi

HA NOI (VNS)— Farmers in Hoai Duc District's Tien Yen Commune are learning how to recycle organic waste by re-using it as fertiliser. In the nearby communes of Cat Que, Duong Lieu and Minh Khai, infrastructure to treat garbage and waste water will soon be in place.

And under a VND50 billion (US$2 million) project, an underground culvert system will connect a lake filled with waste to a treatment facility.

These programmes are part of a citywide plan to improve sanitation in suburban districts, which have long lagged behind the centre when it comes to treating and disposing of waste. The city's 18 suburban districts contain around 65,000 tonnes of untreated waste in lakes, ponds, canals and ditches, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The city also plans to speed up the construction of waste treatment centres in Soc Son, Dong Anh, Dan Phuong and Chuong My districts and is encouraging people's committees to set up their own collection and treatment groups.

Only Soc Son, Dong Anh, Tu Liem, Gia Lam and Thanh Tri have their own sanitation units. The other 13 have to hire sanitation workers from private companies.—VNS