300 tonnes of fish died on La Nga River
After heavy rain on May 15, the fish at various farms along La Nga River suddenly died. The farmers suffered huge losses since those were mature fish and were ready to be sold. This is also the second mass fish death on La Nga River.
Farmer Nguyen Van Que said, "I went out at 7 am and saw the fish were dying. When I jumped into the river, the water tasted sour."
The police in Dong Nai Province said on May 17 that they were investigating the cause of the incident. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment have taken water and dead fish samples at 13 different locations for testing. According to the Environment Crime Police, the heavy rain might have swept the polluted water in the upstream and the fish died due to a lack of oxygen.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment also agreed with the assessment, saying that there was mud on the dead fish.
However, some locals suspected that the discharged wastewater from the nearby factories might have caused the deaths. Department of Environmental Protection in Dong Nai said there were several industrial facilities along La Nga River but their wastewater treatment processes were monitored very closely.
Up to 16 households have been affected with 338 tonnes of dead fish. 11 households are in Phu Ngoc Commune and five are in La Nga Commune.