Nham Bien Ward: Forced to stop operations of vermicelli and cake flour production facility suspected of causing pollution

BAC GIANG - According to the reflection of the people of Minh Phuong residential group, Nham Bien ward (Bac Giang city), in the last days of April and the beginning of May, the water in the canal section in the residential group turned black and had a very unpleasant smell, many fish, shrimp and other creatures died floating. Local people suspect that the water source was polluted by the flour production facility for vermicelli and pho noodles of Mr. Dao Hong Hiep's household.

Báo Bắc Giang•08/05/2025

Up until now, the Nham Bien canal has never had such a situation. Only since Mr. Dao Hong Hiep's facility began operating has the water turned black like this.

Nham Bien canal is polluted.

It is known that Mr. Dao Hong Hiep's family has just installed a system of machines to make vermicelli and pho noodles on their residential land in Minh Phuong residential area, and put it into operation since the end of April. A worker working there said that every day they produce about 2 tons of flour for the owner to deliver to customers in and out of the province according to orders.

A corner of Mr. Hiep's flour production facility. Photo taken on May 1, 2025.

A visit to the flour factory in early May showed that all wastewater discharged during the production process is collected and discharged directly into the residential area's general wastewater drainage system and into Nham Bien canal.

During the transportation process, the flour was dropped and spilled on the road.

Mr. Hiep said that his family used to make rice milling machines, and recently invested billions to install a flour making machine system. The facility has about 5 workers from other localities. Through discussion, Mr. Hiep also admitted that the facility does not have its own wastewater treatment system, all wastewater flowing out during the production process is discharged directly into the drainage canal of the residential area.

Mr. Hiep's household has stopped production, dismantled some machinery and moved to another location. Photo taken on May 6, 2025.

Discussing this content, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Lan, Chairman of Nham Bien Ward People's Committee informed that after receiving feedback from citizens, the ward inspected Nham Bien canal and worked with Mr. Hiep's family. Mr. Hiep's family could not provide any legal documents related to the production and trading of large-scale cake flour; had not yet completed the temporary residence registration procedures for the workers working here... Nham Bien Ward People's Committee has drawn up a record of the incident and requested Mr. Hiep to immediately stop production to carry out business registration procedures, ensure food hygiene and safety, protect the environment and other procedures according to the provisions of law.

"To ensure that families strictly follow the rules, in recent days, the ward has arranged for officers to inspect and supervise, determined not to let the production facility resume illegal operations," Mr. Lan added.

At this time, Mr. Hiep’s household has stopped producing cake flour and is dismantling some equipment and machinery to move elsewhere. Since this facility has been inactive, the water in Nham Bien canal has become less black and the foul smell has decreased. Nham Bien ward People’s Committee has directed the specialized department to research solutions to overcome the pollution in this canal.

Tuan Duong

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/phuong-nham-bien-buoc-co-so-lam-bot-bun-banh-nghi-gay-o-nhiem-dung-hoat-dong-postid417696.bbg