AB Mauri Vietnam, which produces food yeast and bread additives in Dinh Quan District, has seriously violated environmental protection regulations, the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment said in its decision to suspend the company yesterday.
Under the decision, the company will be suspended from now until January 31, 2012, in order for it to take effective measures to stop causing pollution. If the deadline passes and the company fails to take such measures, it will be forced to relocate.
The company has broken its pledge from 2009 to comply with environmental regulations, and its prolonged pollution problems have affected both the livelihood and health of locals, the department said.
The polluter has been fined several times, including one incident in which the company was fined VND70 million (US$3,330), the department added.
Meanwhile, residents in the district’s La Nga Commune had earlier requested the local authority to shut the company down, since it has failed to improve its environmental controls and has not compensated them for the damage to their crops and fishing.
On October 30, 2011, some 100 angry residents gathered outside the company to complain about its discharge of poorly treated wastewater and exhaust fumes.
Water from the river had a much higher content of iron than is allowed, and water samples taken from many wells in the area all failed to meet the country’s safety standards, the provincial Preventive Health Center reported.
Two of the samples even contained arsenic, a carcinogen, it said.
It was their second such protest against the company.
In July 2009 the people had agitated after the company released wastewater into the Tri An reservoir and caused such severe pollution that the provincial authorities closed it down for three months.
The company had then promised to cease operations if the pollution continued, but locals said the company did nothing to stop the pollution to the La Nga River, severely affecting their fishing activities.