Managers of an industrial zone in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong have been fined over US$86,000 for discharging wastewater into a major river without a permit.

The provincial People’s Committee on Monday imposed the penalty upon Viet Huong JSC, the developer of Viet Huong 2 Industrial Park in Ben Cat Town, for its violations of the law on environmental protection and water resources.

The firm was fined VND1.96 billion ($86,054) in total.

Inspectors discovered that the industrial zone’s wastewater treatment system had been dumping nearly 4,400 cubic meters of wastewater into the Saigon River on a daily basis, without a permit from competent authorities as per regulations.

The developer failed to carry out regular maintenance of the waste treatment system, resulting in its ineffective operation and overloading, inspectors said.

Viet Huong Company also failed to submit reports regarding the results of the industrial park’s environmental protection works, which would support the approval of its environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.

In addition to the fine, the firm will be forced to complete the necessary paperwork and deal with its offenses.

The Viet Huong 2 Industrial Park covers an area of 250 hectares in the upstream section of the Saigon River.

Wastewater released by the venue can potentially cause water pollution that affects residents living along the riverbanks and in downstream areas in Binh Duong Province and Ho Chi Minh City.

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