The company is meant to dump 2.4 million cu.m. of mud into the seaarea in Vinh Tan commune, Tuy Phong district.
The dumping location is 10km from the Han Cau Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Le Trung Hieu, the company’s chief officer, said the mud wascollected from dredging canals and quays to build a 100,000 tonne-port forimporting coal from Indonesia and Australia to serve three Vinh Tan thermalpower plants.
However, by July 8, the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment (MONRE) had not received any application from EVNGENCO 3 todump the “materials,” MONRE Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Linh said.
Previously, the MONRE had granted a licence to Vinh Tan 1 PowerCompany – investor of Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant – to dump 1.5 million cu.m.of mud and waste sand into the sea in Vinh Tan commune of Binh Thuan province.
The dumping area is 30ha wide and 8km away from the Hon Cau MPA.
The sediment consisted mostly of sand,seashells, gravel, clay and mud.
Mud dumping in the ocean is disapproved byexperts and the public, who fear that the dredging and dumping will impact themarine ecosystem, compromise the MPA’s integrity and affect marine resourcesand local aquaculture production.
Stretching on a 12,500haarea, the Hon Cau MPA is surrounded by thousands of cliff rocks of different colours and shapes.
The rich marine ecosystemin Hon Cau has all the specific characteristics of a tropical marine region --a variety of multiple-coloured coral, seagrass beds, valuable and rare marineorganisms, etc.
Established in September 2012, the HonCau MPA is one of 16 marine protected areas in Vietnam, based on theapproval of the Prime Minister.
This marine protected area’s aim is tomaintain and preserve marine resources and biodiversity, protect thecommunities of marine creatures and ecological environment, develop ecologicaleconomics, maintain the subsistence of residents, and manage and sustainablyexploit aquatic resources.-VNA