Various Sites in Vietnam Ha Tinh Find Illegal Waste Discharged by Formosa

Taiwanese Formosa Hung Nghiep Ha Tinh Steel Co., Ltd, located in Vietnam’s central province of Ha Tinh, is deep in troubles concerning its industrial waste discharge in the locality after many communes and districts found illegal waste dumping from Formosa. At least 150 tons of waste discharged by Taiwanese Formosa Hung Nghiep Ha Tinh Steel Co., Ltd, were been buried in a landfill located in the nearby Hoang Hoa ward of Thien Cam commune, the Giao Thong (Transport) newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Transport, said in a report late July 13. Vo Ta Dinh, director of the Ha Tinh Department of Natural Resources and Environment, was quoted as saying that a local firm indeed transported and dumped the waste from Formosa at the Thien Cam landfill in 2015. The garbage site, located only 60 kilometers away from the well-known resort town of Thien Cam, was closed at the end of last year. Nguyen Dinh Hoa, head of the Thien Cam eco-beach services cooperative, said some trucks were allowed to dump Formosa’s solid waste in the Thien Cam landfill because a local environment technology institute has confirmed the solid waste as normal, not toxic. In March 2016, local inhabitants in the districts of Ky Phuong, Ky Long, Ky Trinh, Ky Lien in Ky Anh commune also reported seeing many trucks carrying waste from Formosa’s factory and illegally dumping it in the areas. Local authorities have caught red-handed several trucks violating environment rules but they were only fined. Local media continues to report on the waste discharge contract signed between Formosa and a Vietnamese contractor, Ky Anh Urban Environment Management Company. Ha Tinh authorities confirmed the volume of waste buried illegally at a farm owned by the Vietnamese company’s director is 267 tons, not 100 tons as previously reported. The discharge includes 77 tons of household waste and 189 tons of industrial waste. Environmental watchdogs and local police are still investigating the case and tracing all the waste dumping locations related to Formosa. (Phap Luat TP HCM July 13; Tien Phong July 13; Zing News July 13; Bao Giao Thong July 13; Soha News July 13)