The case of the "siege" of a river section by the sludge dump: Two businesses forced to fix it and restore the ecology

On December 4, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Binh Dinh province officially provided information regarding the "giant" sludge dump causing environmental pollution, affecting the lives of people in area 4, Nhon Binh ward (Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinh province) as previously reported by SGGP Newspaper.

Specify the responsibilities of the two businesses

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Binh Dinh province, on October 30, the unit coordinated with relevant parties to directly inspect the site of the accumulated mud area. The results recorded the phenomenon of mud deposition in the riverbed of the Quy Nhon 3 spillway to the confluence with the Truong Uc River. This mudbank is about 200m wide and 300m long.

"Giant" mudflats surround a large stretch of river

The silting situation obstructs flood drainage flow, potentially affecting agricultural production in the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop in agricultural areas north of Quy Nhon 3 spillway, and affecting the water supply for aquaculture of some households in neighboring areas.

The inspection team determined that the above sedimentation was caused by the pumping and storage of dredged materials from the investment project to upgrade wharf No. 1 - Quy Nhon port, implemented by Quy Nhon Port Joint Stock Company.

In particular, the two main causes are the formation of temporary storage tanks that partially obstructed the flow, causing sedimentation upstream of the storage tank but were not periodically dredged during the project construction. This is the responsibility of Quy Nhon Port Joint Stock Company.

Dredging enterprises take sand and dump it into mudflats that cover the entire river.

The second reason is that the construction and operation of the settling ponds at the dumping site No. 2 have not been effective, so a quantity of mud from the settling ponds flows into the area from the downstream of Quy Nhon 3 spillway to the temporary storage tank, causing the above sedimentation. This cause is the responsibility of Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited.

Must clean up and restore ecology

Based on the inspection results, the People's Committee of Binh Dinh province has requested Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited to be responsible for reinforcing and upgrading the ponds at the dumping site No. 2 of the New Urban Area Project in the Goc Market area and to operate the ponds to ensure that sludge does not escape outside and cause sedimentation downstream.

The high mud bank "choked" the entire flow of the river.

Request Quy Nhon Port Joint Stock Company and Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited to urgently coordinate to dredge all the currently deposited mud, pump the mud to the dumping site No. 2 of the New Urban Area project in the Goc market area for storage; no later than January 15, 2024.

Enterprises need to focus on completing the dredging of a 50m wide section of the waterway right at the Quy Nhon 3 spillway at the confluence with the Truong Uc River to ensure flood drainage, no later than December 15, 2023.

Quy Nhon Port Joint Stock Company is required to take measures to restore biodiversity in the project area after completing the remediation according to previous commitments.

The mudflats blocked the river, preventing ships from entering the harbor.

As reported by SGGP Newspaper, dozens of households in Area 4 (Nhon Binh Ward) reported that for many months, their lives have been disrupted due to pollution, flooding, and foul-smelling sewage overflowing and surrounding the river and the people's shrimp and fish farming ponds.

The huge sludge pile has submerged the entire river, destroying the livelihood of people who fish and shrimp in the river; while the mud overflows into seafood ponds, killing many fish and shrimp; the sludge has blocked the river, making it impossible for boats to anchor...

It is known that the dredging project of wharf No. 1 - Quy Nhon port has an area of ​​about 189,982m², the volume of dredged material is nearly 530,000m³, mainly sand and mud. This material after being dredged is brought to a temporary storage tank in the riverbed area at the confluence with Truong Uc River to filter and transfer to a storage pond in 2 dumping areas with an area of ​​17.3ha in the new urban area of ​​Cho Goc area invested by Phu Gia Riverside Company Limited.

NGOC OAI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/vu-bai-bun-thai-vay-ham-khuc-song-buoc-2-doanh-nghiep-khac-phuc-tra-lai-sinh-thai-post716906.html