A pig farm was found to have released wastewater with a foul odor into Lak Lake, which was recognized as a national landscape in 1993, in Vietnam for many years, sparking public concerns.

Black wastewater has been flowing into Lak Lake through a plastic pipe, polluting the lake in Dak Lak Province, located in the Central Highlands.

The pig farm belongs to the family of Le Viet Thanh in Lien Son Town, Lak District, Dak Lak Province.

The wastewater has created black scum over an area stretching hundreds of meters in length and tens of meters in width on the lake's surface.

The unpleasant smell from the lake, carried by the wind, has haunted a nearby residential area.

In peak times, Thanh’s farm has hundreds of pigs.

He cleans the farm twice a day, at dawn and at dusk, giving off the unbearable smell that later spreads across the neighborhood, complained H.T.A., who is his neighbor.

 “All of the wastewater during the clean-up is released to Lak Lake,” A. added.

Local residents have repeatedly complained about Thanh’s act to local authorities but their efforts were in vain.

Le The Anh, chairman of the administration in Lien Son Town, confirmed that Thanh's pig farm had caused environmental pollution and impacted the lives of locals.

However, he affirmed that the town did not turn a blind eye to the issue.

Anh informed that Thanh currently raises around 500 pigs, with the number sometimes reaching 1,000.

Despite operating the farm for nearly 20 years, Thanh has not obtained a license for his operations.

Anh added that inspecting the farm is challenging as it requires a multisectoral inspection team.

While the town has urged Thanh to address the environmental pollution, no sanctions have been imposed on him thus far.

Anh also confirmed that Thanh had encroached on Lak Lake for fish farming and for storing wastewater from his pig farm.

As the case falls beyond the jurisdiction of the town, it has reported the matter to the Lak District administration.

The Lien Son Town authorities have urged Thanh to remove a bamboo dyke in the lake to restore it to its original state.

Nay Y Phu, chairman of the People’s Committee of Lak District, said the district had received a report of the case and had tasked relevant units with dealing with it.

Lak Lake, which is over 500 hectares large, is among the largest natural lakes in Vietnam. It is a tourist site for domestic and foreign travelers.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!