Vietnam Firm Fined $19,500 for Environment Pollution

Sonadezi Long Thanh, a waste treatment company in Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai, has incurred a fine of VND405 million ($19,500) for dumping untreated wastewater into Dong Nai River.
Although the polluter in the Long Thanh Industrial Park in Long Thanh district, is in charge of treating wastewater from 42 local enterprises, it still released untreated sewage into the environment to take illegal benefit, the Anti-Environmental Crime Prevention and Control Police Department said. After testing the wastewater samples, the department affirmed that the samples exceed the permissible levels by 5-10 times on color, Fe and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The company was also found not following some of its commitments on environmental protection and not regularly operating its wastewater treatment system. On August 3, the company was caught red-handed releasing about 9,300cu.m of black wastewater with stinking odor into the Ba Cheo canal, the main water supply source for 500 hectares of farmland in the district’s Tam An commune. Last month, around 220 local farming households filed claims for a total damage of VND12 billion from the company which they said had discharged poorly-treated wastewater for several years. However, after testing its wastewater samples, the Natural Resource and Environment Institute under the Ho Chi Minh City National University concluded that such wastewater has yet to cause severe consequences. During the last five years, Sonadezi has been fined a total VND140 million for dumping its wastewater without treatment, posing a great threat to the environment and human health. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Oct 9)