Iron-ore mine starts clean-up after mudslide
The Vietnam National
Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) has taken responsibility for
repairing damage caused by a mudslide last week in the northern mountainous
province of Cao Bang.
A sea of mud and
water surged from a dam built to hold earth from an iron ore mine operated by
Cao Bang Minerals and Metallurgy Company, a subsidiary of Vinacomin, which
inundated houses and fields in Duyet Trung Commune and submerged roads.
Deputy General
Director of the group Phung Manh Dac said the company was building a pipeline
to pump the mud back into its dams and that cranes would be used to clear the
mud from roads. Pumps would be erected to remove mud from homes.
The company had
planned to resettle Ma Thi Bach's household, which was most affected by the
spill in Na Keo Hamlet, but she did not want to relocate. Instead, the company
provided her with 7 million VND (333 USD) and removed the mud from her house.
Four other households received 1 million VND (47.6 USD) each for being forced to move from the mud covered area.
Company deputy
director Dam Trung Ky said it had used four excavators, eight trucks and over
200 workers to dredge the mud and prevent local residents and cattle from
falling into streams.
The provincial
People's Committee has asked the company to complete dredging no later than
December. However, company leaders said it would not be able to meet the
deadline because of the huge amount of mud covering agricultural lands and
stream banks.
It has also been
unable to come up with a plan to prevent the mud from entering Bang River.
In response to
health concerns, Vinacomin announced the mud was made up of water, not
chemicals, so it was non-toxic. However, deputy head of the provincial
Environment Protection Department Doan Ngoc Bau said submerged trees could die
from a lack of oxygen.
Chairman of the
People's Committee, Nguyen Hoang Anh has asked authorities to evaluate the mud
to determine its potential to harm human health.
Four dams were built
to hold earth extracted from the company's iron-ore mine. Two of the dams have
not been used while the third became overloaded.
Vinacomin also
approved a plan to build a 14ha dam with a total investment of 30 billion VND
(1.5 million USD) but it was rejected because no environmental report was
completed.