Nearly 400 households with 1,900 people in Dien Ngoc Commune in Dien Chau District, Nghe An Province, have lived for five years surrounded by pollution from seafood processing enterprises.
Dien Ngoc Commune at Lach Van fishing port receives more than 70 per cent of the total seafood caught in the district.
Every day about 200 tonnes of fish are transported to the port, said Ngo Dinh Tiu, deputy head of Dien Chau District's Natural Resources and Environment Division.
Most of the processors in the commune were set up by households without proper planning and they did not pay enough attention to waste treatment, he said.
Tran Thi Hung, 63, who lives in Ngoc Van Village, told Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) newspaper that the stinking smell of fish made people miserable.
"Besides, the burning smell from processors making fish powder makes all residents choke," she said.
Tran Van Hoi, another resident, said the processors also discharged their untreated waste water directly into residential sewers, which then ran into the Lach Van River, making the water inky-black.
Commune party committee secretary Nguyen Van Hoa said pollution had also made residents in Ngoc Minh Village upset.
The commune had asked enterprises to build bio-gas tanks to treat the waste and reduce pollution.
Recently, residents in the two villages have been hit with outbreaks of trachoma (eye disease) and scabies (skin disease) - and children often suffer from pneumonia.
During the past two years, the department has joined hands with relevant bodies to treat waste and inspect the way enterprises control waste.
However, despite their efforts, pollution levels fell only slightly.
Source: Vietnamnet.vn on 2/9/2013
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