Fishermen and their catches in Quang Binh province (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The quality of the marineenvironment in the central region becomes stable, meeting safety requirementsfor aquaculture, tourism and conservation of aquatic animals and plants, accordingto the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
This is the result of a programme conducted bythe MARD from May 4-9, 2017 to assess the sea environment in the four centralprovinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.
The programme, which was carried out one yearafter the environmental incident relating to Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh SteelLimited Company, was based on surveys conducted in 2016.
The monitoring results also revealed that the totalphenol and Fe levels are within the permitted limits as regulated in QCVN10-MT: 2015/BTNMT and much lower than the 2016 observation results.
In order to further monitor and assess thequality of the coastal marine environment, the MARD requested the four provincesto closely coordinate with the ministry in supervising wastewater discharged fromthe Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company.
The provinces were also asked to set up aninformation system and a database, and apply cutting-edge technologies tomonitor and give warnings of marine environmental pollution.
However, the MARD’s Directorate of Fisherieswarned that local fishermen in the four provinces should not catch seafood livingin the seabed within 20 nautical miles from the shore.
The Ministry of Health also took samples ofseafood in waters off Hai Phong city in the north, Vung Tau city in the centralregion and several other areas to check whether fish living in the seabed inthe central region is safe or not. The test results will be reported to thePrime Minister and publicized in the coming time.
The Directorate of Fisheries has also instructedfishery inspection forces to team up with local specialised agencies to conductjoint patrols and inspections over fishing activities, and guide localfishermen to abide by regulations on protecting aquatic resources.
According to the Directorate, the compensationfor affected fishermen as well as the implementation of policies supportingthem are in line with the Government’s guidelines. The process is taking placeequally and transparently under the supervision of the public andorganisations.
By the end of June, the provinces received 6.31trillion VND (277.6 million USD) in compensation. Of the number, 5.53 trillionVND (243.3 million USD) was delivered to the targeted fishermen. The remainingwill be distributed to the fishermen as soon as possible.
Besides, each affected household is enabled toborrow 100 million VND (4,400 USD) to serve their production while those stillowing to banks will get extensions for their loans. The locals have alsoreceived aids in health insurance and tuition fees.
Of note, in order to help local fishermen shiftto new jobs and offshore fishing, the provinces are carrying out a programme tobuild 400 composite-hulled and wooden vessels with engines of 90 CV-400 CV.
Mass fish deaths were first reported on April 6,2016 when many fish washed ashore in Ha Tinh province. The incident alsooccurred in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces.
Wastewater discharged from Formosa polluted morethan 200 kilometres of coastline, devastating the marine environment and localeconomies of those provinces, which largely rely on fishing and tourism.
In June last year, Formosa accepted responsibilityfor the incident and pledged 500 million USD in compensation for affectedfishermen, households and organisations.-VNA
VNA
