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According to head of the department Nguyen Quoc Tan, test results showed that a 10-km stretch of water had been affected with black smelly water and levels of oxygen 2 to 4 times lower than permitted.
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The acceptable level of dissolved oxygen must be at least 5mg per litre to maintain aquaculture, he said, adding that about three tonnes of dead fish had been reported.
Huynh Nam Kha, deputy director of the provincial Department of Aquaculture Protection said Tra Khuc Lake was polluted by untreated waste water discharged by Quang Ngai Sugarcane Joint Stock Company.
Kha said a representative from the company had admitted to the crime, saying that the company had discharged about 3,000 cu.m of waste water into the river, blaming a leak in the waste water reservoirs.
However, deputy director of the provincial Environmental Police Department Pham Hung said the amount of untreated waste water discharged by the company into the river was more likely to be 10,000 cubic metres due to long-term violations.
Previously, the company and its nine factories, were adjudged to have substandard treatment systems and fined more than VND1.1 billion (US$57,890). Environmental police also discovered faulty waste pipes and forced the company to replace them with new ones.
However, the situation remains unresolved as the sanctions were not strict enough, Hung said.
Viet Nam News contacted Quang Ngai Sugarcane Company regarding the matter but representatives declined to comment.
Nguyen Tang Binh, director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the department yesterday asked the company to cease operations and asked the provincial people’s committee and relevant authorities to investigate.
The company would face legal action and heavy punishment if evidence of wrongdoing was found, they said.
V.N.S