Artisan villages that make noodles, cakes and seafood in Nghe An Province are creating damaging pollution.
Environmental pollution in some of Nghe An’s 153 craft villages has risen alarmingly, Dan Tri reports. The problem has greatly impacted local living conditions and increased risks of food poisoning.
In Phu Loi Village of Hoang Mai Township, unprocessed liquid waste from dried anchovy production has contaminated the nearby Mai Giang River. The constant smell that drying anchovies give off brings about unbearable odors and attracts flies. District authorities have ordered an inspection and urged local businesses to solve the problem but they still haven’t followed any environmental sanitation process.
Huynh Duong Village in Dien Chau District currently houses 300 families who earn their living from making vermicelli. Here, untreated sewage is discharged straight into nearby fields, creating a foul smell that pervades the town and leaves the rice paddy infertile. Residents in the neighborhood have sought help from local authorities but the situation has remained unchanged so far.
Moreover, as most village artisans cannot afford the expense of sewage treatment, lately there’s no better solution other than covering drainage ditches to reduce the odor. Projects to build and operate environment protection facilities have been set up but machinery and equipment are costly.
Other regions in Vietnam also suffer from environmental pollution. In Saigon, air pollution is four times more fatal than traffic accidents, according to a past study. Da Lat might be deprived of clean water in the future due to waste discharge. Ha Noi’s air quality, on the other hand, was recently listed as second-worst in the world. Studies have shown that because of pollutants in Vietnam’s atmosphere, national life expectancy might be reduced by 1.16 years.
[Photo via Kinh Te Nong Thon]
