After being found to discharge untreated waste water, Dung Quat bio-ethanol plant in central Quang Ngai Province's Binh Son District has committed to treat pollution in the surrounding environment within the week.

Photo: VNN

Pollution caused by the factory of the PetroVietnam Central Biofuels Joint Stock Company (PCB) caused widespread fish and duck fatalities over the past week, said Chairman of Binh Thuan commune's People's Committee Nguyen Quang Huy.

"The waste water discharged by the factory seriously polluted the water sources, making nearly 100 nearby households lack safe water for their daily use," he said.

At a working session with the company on Tuesday to find solutions to settle the problem, Deputy Chairman of the Quang Ngai People's Committee Pham Nhu So urged the factory to promptly treat the pollution, compensate for local residents and install some public water supply stations for local households while waiting for the water sources to be treated.

The company has sent around 30 workers to the polluted area who have blocked all water drainage systems to prevent the further spread of pollution. They were using biological chemical products to treat the bad smell and clean the water, Huy said.

Dang Vinh Nghi, chairman of PCB, admitted that the factory's waste water caused the deaths of fish and ducks raised by local households nearby.

He said the company would work with the factory and local authorities to treat the pollution and assess losses for appropriate compensation.

Nghi apologised to the local residents for the pollution and committed to not let a similar incident happen again.

The Dung Quat bio-ethanol plant was built in 2009 with a total investment capital of more than VND2 trillion (US$96 million). Its first batch of product was rolled out early this month.

Source: VNN