Further strict supervision requested for Formosa’s waste
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources on July 13 asked the People’s Committees of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue to maintain strict supervision on waste discharges from the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company.
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The evaluation of the marine environment in the four central localities one year after the Formosa-related marine environment incident showed that seawater and sediment off the four provinces are now safe for swimming, water sports and aquaculture, the ministry said on July 13.
Notably, the indices on toxic substances such as phenol and iron hydroxide are now within permissible limits.
Mass fish deaths were first reported on April 6, 2016 when many fish washed ashore in Ha Tinh province. The incident also occurred in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces.
Wastewater discharged from Formosa polluted more than 200 kilometres of coastline, devastating the marine environment and local economies of those provinces, which largely rely on fishing and tourism.
In June last year, Formosa accepted responsibility for the incident and pledged 500 million USD in compensation for affected fishermen, households and organisations.
