Gia Lai: Authorities "give up" on polluting processing facilities?

For many years, people in Hoa Thuan, Hoa Tin and Chu Bo 1 villages (Ia Phang commune, Chu Puh district, Gia Lai province) have had to endure pollution when agricultural product purchasing and processing facilities set up firewood and coal furnaces and operate freely day and night.

Smoke and dust surrounded

Leading a reporter from Giao thong Newspaper from Ho Chi Minh Road to the drying factory, Ms. Nay Thi Kim Hoa in Ia Phang commune said that her husband suffered a stroke and was in the final stages of cancer, but every day he had to smell the acrid smell of smoke and dust.

People took pictures of the smoke and dust obscuring the residential area.

"During the coffee harvest season, the fine dust from the ash emitted from the drying factory is the most haunting thing. Even if the doors and windows are closed, the dust still seeps into the house to the point of making it difficult to breathe," Ms. Hoa shared.

The report of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the People's Committee of Ia Phang Commune shows that the functional units have inspected and imposed fines many times. The business unit has pledged not to repeat the offense and to move elsewhere so as not to affect people's lives.

However, the business did not comply strictly. The district assigned the specialized departments to inspect and take measures to handle this matter. If the violation is repeated, I request that the business license be revoked.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tu, Vice Chairman of Chu Puh District People's Committee

Mr. Le Tran Quang Vinh, who lives opposite the agricultural product drying facility, said indignantly that the time when the agricultural product milling and drying is most active is from 6pm to 11pm every day. The noise and black smoke from the wood-fired drying furnace combined with the fine dust from the agricultural product milling waste makes the air smoky.

"My family doesn't dare to dry clothes outside because of the dust. We always keep the house closed, trying to avoid dust and pollution as much as possible," said Vinh.

According to Mr. Vinh, from 2021 until now, people have continuously submitted petitions to local authorities to handle polluting facilities, but it seems that the more they are fined, the more the businesses emit smoke and dust.

"In addition to dust, overloading agricultural products has damaged rural roads in the area. Trucks of dozens of tons continuously coming in and out create dangerous potholes on the road. We hope the government will take drastic measures to relocate this facility out of residential areas to protect people's health," said Mr. Vinh.

Promise one thing, do another

According to the records of the People's Committee of Ia Phang commune, the Bay Gang facility is owned by Mr. Huynh Ngoc Phong (born in 1983, residing in Hoa Thuan village, Ia Phang commune, Chu Puh district), specializing in trading and processing agricultural products.

The facility built two drying kilns in a residential area, causing outrage among residents.

In 2021, this facility was inspected, fined and required to make repairs many times by the authorities. The owner, Huynh Ngoc Phong, pledged to stop operating the drying kiln, not to affect the people and to move the kiln to a suitable location. However, the pollution situation still recurs.

Speaking to Giao Thong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Minh Ha, Chairman of Ia Phang Commune People's Committee said: "The commune has grasped the pollution situation from Bay Gang facility and has assigned officials to inspect, verify and handle violations according to local authority. However, it is necessary for competent authorities to intervene to handle this facility in accordance with the correct process and procedures."

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Quang, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Chu Puh district, informed that the most recent inspection was in December 2023. Here, the specialized agency discovered that the above facility violated a number of environmental protection regulations and was fined 4 million VND.

However, Bay Gang is a family business and is not required to prepare an environmental impact assessment report for mandatory industries. Therefore, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment also guided the owner of the business to complete environmental registration procedures according to regulations.

"We will continue to coordinate with the Commune People's Committee and relevant agencies to inspect and immediately handle violations, if any, and request the facility to take measures to remedy the pollution," said Mr. Quang.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/gia-laichinh-quyen-bo-tay-voi-co-so-che-bien-gay-o-nhiem-192241021220607172.htm