The road to school of Thanh Tam, a 12th grader of a high school in Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh), every day is filled with the smell of chemicals and smoke released from the Hung Nghiep Formosa steel factory.
Nha Tam has located just 2 km from the Formosa steel factory. There is a section on the way to school where he has to cross the road next to Formosa. Every day at six o’clock in the morning, Tam cycles 12km to school, go home for lunch at 11 AM and returns to school from 1 PM until 5 PM.
On October 22, on the way home from school, Tam smelled a burning smell, looked around, and saw thick yellow smoke rising from dozens of chimneys of the Formosa steel factory:
“That day, I was riding my bike home from school when I heard the smell of burning. I thought something was on fire, but looking back, there was smoke in the factory. The wind hit this area, so when we got home from school, the smell was horrible, like rotten garbage.”
During that time, whether on the road or in class, Tam had to wear a mask because he couldn’t stand the smell of smoke and dust:
“When I was inside, my house was smelly, the smell of waste made me feel sick. We go to school, sit in class and smell the terrible smell also.”
“We have to wear masks continuously, only when we get home do we take them off. The rest is going to school or wherever that smell is there.”
Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ha Tinh province, Mr. Vo Trong Hai, on the afternoon of October 23, answered a reporter from the Investor Magazine that the phenomenon of yellow and white smoke flying high and densely at the Formosa Ha Tinh factory was determined as “no problem.”
Industry and Trade News Network quoted Colonel Nguyen Hong Phong, Director of Ha Tinh Provincial Police as saying that on the afternoon of October 22, “the exhaust fan in the area of the coking factory, the energy department of Formosa company occurred an incident, leading to localized fire, then the gas spilled out forming cloudy yellow smoke.” By six o’clock on the same day, this problem was fixed.
Mr. Phong also said that he has directed professional departments to coordinate with Ky Anh Town Police to organize an examination of the scene and investigate the cause to get a conclusion soon. If there is a violation, it will be strictly handled before the law, and at the same time, Formosa is required to strictly comply with the process and regulations on plant operation, ensuring the safety of human life and property.
A reporter from Radio Free Asia on October 26 contacted the police in Ky Anh commune, Ha Tinh province to ask about the investigation process on this case. Police officers said they are still investigating and have not come to a conclusion. There will be a press release when the results are available.
Residents bear the consequences of pollution
Mr. Mai Chau Bau, a resident of Ky Anh district (Ha Tinh province) told RFA that within a radius of a few kilometers from the Formosa company, people smell smoke and chemicals every day.
Occasionally, this company releases a large amount of smoke into the environment, a few months ago it was black smoke, this time it was opaque yellow:
“During this time there was a dark yellow smoke that was released for a period of time. Every time I walk on the road, the smell is very unpleasant, it is difficult to breathe, but that is considered common sense, of course, of this factory.”
Since Formosa set up a steel factory at Son Duong port, Ha Tinh in 2008, environmental pollution has become more and more serious. People daily face many types of pollution caused by this company, from air pollution, land pollution, sea pollution…, directly affecting the health and economy of residents in the area.
Mr. Bau said that every time it rains if you collect the water in a bucket, you will see that the water settles with a layer of black coal dust, but not as clear as the day before:
“Now, people feel that the air they breathe is no longer fresh. In the past, I could use rainwater to eat and drink, but now I can’t anymore, I don’t dare anymore. Every time I walk on the street, I have to bear the odors that Formosa emits.”
In July 2016, Formosa was discovered illegally burying tens of tons of waste at a landfill in Thien Cam town. People in Ky Phuong, Ky Long, Ky Trinh, and Ky Lien wards in Ky Anh town also discovered that many trucks carrying waste from the Formosa factory were illegally buried in hilly areas, along roads, and even in the gardens of people.
The case of Formosa discharge directly into the sea, causing mass fish deaths along four central provinces, from Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue since April 2016, still left many serious consequences. Mr. Bau said:
“Especially, people working at sea and fishing businesses face many difficulties. Currently, people are not interested in fishing anymore, although it is a traditional profession, although the sea is the source of energy and life, people are no longer interested in the sea anymore, because of low harvest due to the depletion of seafood resources.”
This group has accepted responsibility and compensated $500 million but transferred it to the government, not the local people. The affected people filed a lawsuit against Formosa in Vietnam, but the application was not accepted.
In June 2019, about 8,000 victims continued to sue Formosa in a Taiwanese court for not receiving adequate compensation. So far, the court in Taiwan has accepted and the case is still ongoing.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
