Recently, the Lao Dong Newspaper has continuously received complaints from people in Ba Ria - Vung Tau (BR-VT) about a convoy of trucks carrying soil suspected to be hazardous waste for some landfill projects. Among those who complained was Mr. Nguyen Van Tr. (living in Vung Tau City, working as a driver).
Worry and frustration
According to Mr. Tr., the above convoy of vehicles transported "goods" from Company T. located in the Toc Tien concentrated waste treatment area (in Toc Tien commune, Phu My town, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province) to supply to the project in the filling stage in Phu My town. Based on Mr. Tr.'s reflection, we immediately went to the Toc Tien concentrated waste treatment area and saw many dump trucks carrying soil from Company T. to dump at Company L's project. According to observations, the soil from these dump trucks dumped at the project was gray-black, different from normal soil. "The authorities should conduct an inspection and send soil samples for testing to determine if it is hazardous waste, it would be extremely dangerous" - Mr. Tr. worried.
Authorities caught Kbec Vina Company discharging waste into the environment. Photo: HUNG NGUYEN
These days, many people have expressed their indignation at the fact that Kbec Vina Company Limited (abbreviated as Kbec Vina Company) has been fined billions of dong for its illegal discharge into the environment but has still re-offended. A police officer from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province said that Kbec Vina Company (100% Korean capital) is the exclusive enterprise for burying waste at the Toc Tien centralized waste treatment area. In just a short period of time, this company has been fined more than 2 billion dong but has repeatedly violated regulations on environmental protection. Most recently, on the morning of May 10, Phu My town police coordinated with professional units to ambush and catch Kbec Vina Company employees taking advantage of the rain and darkness to pump untreated waste into the stormwater discharge pipe to discharge into Giao Keo stream. When seeing the authorities, the company immediately directed its employees to turn off the pump.
In Binh Duong province, whenever the incident of burying large-scale hazardous waste in a 28,000 m2 area in Tan Long commune, Phu Giao district is mentioned, people are both indignant and surprised. At the time when the Department of Environmental Crime Prevention - Ministry of Public Security discovered it, this landfill contained all kinds of waste, from household waste such as coal slag, fly ash, coffee grounds, packaging... to hazardous waste including a large number of chemical drums, oil-contaminated packaging, glass... Due to the large amount of waste, it overflowed into the Cau stream area right next to it and the water from this Cau stream flows into the Be River.
"Every day, there are a few trucks, marked "industrial waste trucks" on the outside, carrying piles of garbage into that area. Every now and then, they burn them, causing smoke to rise and a strong stench. Yet they have been operating for a long time without anyone knowing," said Ms. Tran Thi T., whose house is about 200 meters from the illegal landfill. According to Ms. T., garbage buried in the ground for a long time will certainly affect the water source in this area. Therefore, the current problem is how to handle it thoroughly so that people can live in peace. "We really hope that the authorities will listen to the people's thoughts and wishes to thoroughly handle the environment in the landfill," Ms. T. suggested.
Dump truck carrying soil from T. Company to dump at the landfill project in Phu My town, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province. Photo: HUNG NGUYEN
Speaking to reporters, a representative of the Tan Long Commune People's Committee said that Tra Vinh Environment Company Limited (the unit illegally burying hazardous waste mentioned above) bought the land in 2019, initially only about 14,000 m2, and by April 2022, it had bought more than 13,000 m2, totaling about 28,000 m2. The enterprise only requested permission to treat waste. On the other hand, the function of the Commune People's Committee also does not have the right to inspect the enterprise's activities. "We only knew when the Ministry of Public Security came to work and discovered the enterprise burying hazardous waste, because this area was built behind high walls, the door was always closed" - a leader of the Tan Long Commune People's Committee explained.
Strictly handle and closely monitor
Faced with the above serious violations, the Investigation Police Agency of Binh Duong Province Police has issued a decision to prosecute the accused and execute a temporary detention order against Hua Dong (born in 1973, from Tra Vinh province) and Cao Tho Binh (born in 1982, from Ben Tre province) to investigate the crime of "Causing environmental pollution". Hua Dong is the Director of Tra Vinh Environmental Company Limited. In 2018, Dong represented the company in signing a contract to collect and treat waste with a number of companies in Binh Duong province and neighboring areas. The collected waste includes hazardous waste, recycled scrap, fly ash, coal slag, etc. By the end of 2020, Dong directed Cao Tho Binh (the company's manager and driver) to have workers of Tra Vinh Environmental Company Limited bury the collected waste, fly ash and coal slag, in an empty land in Tan Long commune, Phu Giao district, Binh Duong province.
According to Colonel Le Van Tuan, Head of Department 3 - Department of Environmental Crime Prevention Police, according to regulations, the above waste must be brought to the factory in Tra Vinh province for processing, but the subjects transported it to Tan Long commune for illegal burial. Although the scene is near Tan Long commune People's Committee, the subjects still openly operated. Before being discovered, there were about 10 trucks and large tractors working regularly in this area.
Scene of a large-scale hazardous waste landfill in Tan Long commune, Phu Giao district, Binh Duong province. Photo: THAO NGUYEN
To prevent the above situation from recurring, Mr. Vo Van Minh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Binh Duong province, said that the People's Committee of the province has requested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Construction, the Provincial Police and the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to strictly implement the instructions on strengthening the management of scrap business activities in the province. In particular, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment shall preside over and organize the inspection and supervision of the collection, transportation and treatment of ordinary industrial solid waste and scrap; coordinate with the People's Committees of districts, towns and cities to review and strictly handle cases of improper land use. The Department of Construction shall strengthen the inspection and supervision of warehouse and factory construction activities in the province and strictly handle violations.
For districts, towns and cities, the People's Committee of Binh Duong province requires strengthening inspection and supervision of the issuance of business registration certificates and activities of scrap business and waste collection. "In particular, Binh Duong province will handle the responsibility of local leaders who allow violations of land use for the wrong purpose to build illegal warehouses, yards, factories and violations of waste burial" - the Chairman of the People's Committee of Binh Duong province emphasized.
Regarding the violation of Kbec Vina Company, on March 21, the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province issued a decision to impose a total fine of more than VND 1.2 billion for violating regulations on environmental licenses; discharging wastewater containing environmental parameters exceeding technical standards on waste by 10 times or more in the case of discharging wastewater from 100 m3 to less than 200 m3/day (24 hours). In addition, the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province also suspended the discharge of wastewater from the wastewater treatment system of Kbec Vina Company into the environment (irrigated fields) for a period of 4 and a half months; requiring the company to transfer all wastewater generated from the wastewater treatment system to a competent unit for treatment.
However, according to Phu My Town Police, despite being fined many times, Kbec Vina Company has not changed, and the level of violations has even become more serious and sophisticated. "We are researching and will apply more severe measures to resolutely handle this enterprise, also to deter other enterprises from similar violations" - Phu My Town Police affirmed.
Continue to investigate signs of violations by Dien Quang
On May 22, Lieutenant Colonel Huynh Yen Nam - Head of Bien Hoa City Police, Dong Nai Province - said that after 1 year of prosecuting the case of illegal waste dumping at the Tube Light Factory of Dien Quang Light Bulb Joint Stock Company (located in Bien Hoa Industrial Park), the Investigation Police Agency of Bien Hoa City Police is still investigating signs of law violations. "The work of assessing hazardous waste and radioactive substances takes a lot of time, so the investigation is prolonged," said Lieutenant Colonel Nam.
In April 2022, after many days of inspection at the Tube Light Factory of Dien Quang Lamp Joint Stock Company, the authorities seized more than 8 tons of damaged light bulbs, more than 81 tons of crushed glass, 900 kg of glass mixed with waste sludge, more than 32 tons of water generated from destruction activities...
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