Minister eases local worries over environmental pollution hinh anh 1Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will  send experts from the French Viola Group to the central region to inspect the quality of Formosa’s waste and sewage treatment equipment from December 12.

Minister Tran Hong Ha revealed the information while clearing up environmental and land pollution concerns raised by local residents in the central province of Ha Tinh during a meeting in Hanoi on December 8.

He said the recent marine environmental incident caused by Taiwan-invested Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company in the four central provinces has profoundly affected the local lives. 

The Government has delivered Formosa’s compensation to fishermen in two phrases while continuously supporting them to seek suitable jobs, he said.

For its part, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is doing its best to recover the maritime environment and assist locals to stabilise lives.

Fishermen from Ky Loi commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province appealed for exclusive policies to help them switch jobs and sell fish products.

Minister Tran Hong Ha also said the compensation criteria for households affected by the incident are reasonable, but there may arise some unexpected problems during the implementation.

Thereby, the ministry will supplement cases to receive support and submit it to the Government for consideration, he said.

He noted that the State and local inhabitants need to join hands to strictly control the waste discharge by Formosa to ensure the environment is safe.

In late June, Formosa admitted responsibility for the massive fish death in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and ThuaThien-Hue. 

It pledged 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) in compensation./.