Residents miserable due to wastewater from seafood processing unit in Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa
Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 14:03 GMT+7
Residents of Phuoc Long Ward in Nha Trang City have been struggling with the unpleasant odor of the wastewater released by a nearby seafood processing unit over the past few months.
Locals complained that Hong Phat Service Produce Co. Ltd., which specializes in processing seafood for export, regularly discharges wastewater into sewers, polluting the area in Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam .
Nguyen Thi Hue, a dweller on Dang Dung Street in Phuoc Long Ward, said the odor emitting from the sewers was foul-smelling on sunny days.
Many households in the neighborhood have jointly complained about the situation to local authorities, demanding immediate solutions to the issue.
“The residential area is inhabited by many old people and children. Instead of enjoying the fresh air, we have to inhale the poisonous smell daily," Hue said.
“It is necessary to ask the company to stop releasing wastewater [into the environment] or to relocate [its production] out of the residential area."
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| The foul-smelling wastewater runs to a sewer in Phuoc Long Ward, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Meanwhile, a representative of Hong Phat Service Produce Co. Ltd. said the wastewater discharging to the sewers was from the cleaning of the company’s facilities, not from the fish processing.
The wastewater leaks outside on days when the company has production activities, not all days, the representative added.
The Phuoc Long Ward People’s Committee has worked with the company, local residents, and relevant agencies, according to ward chairman Ngo Khac Thinh.
The ward concluded that the company violates the law when it discharges untreated wastewater and asked the company to block wastewater pipes leading to the sewers on Dang Dung Street before Thursday.
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| The headquarters of seafood processing firm Hong Phat Service Produce Co. Ltd., which discharges untreated wastewater to sewers in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province, south-central Vietnam. Photo: Minh Chien / Tuoi Tre |
Hong Phat Service Produce Co. Ltd. has to be committed to storing the wastewater in its septic tanks and having these tanks emptied every two days.
The ward authorities will keep a close watch on the company’s fulfillment of its commitments and impose heavy sanctions if it repeats the violation.
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