by Defend the Defenders, July 25, 2017
The Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) has requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to urgently nullify a license for Vinh Tan 1 Power Company Ltd. which to allow the China-invested company to discharge nearly one million cubic meters of dredged sediments into the waters off Binh Thuan province.
In a letter signed by its Chairman Nguyen Viet Thang, VINAFIS proposed the ministry to revoke the license and establish an independent inspection team to assess environmental impacts of sediments including mud, sand and shells on the sea and review the objectivity and integrity of those issuing the license.
VINAFIS said the coastal fishing grounds off Binh Thuan province are home to scarce marine species such as lobsters, crustaceans and mollusks. Hon Cau Marine Protected Area, which is eight kilometers from the area where Vinh Tan 1 Power Company will dump sediments, is home to coral reefs, seaweed and marine creatures.
Together with Binh Dinh province, Binh Thuan province owns one-third of the nation’s shrimp farms nationwide and is a large supplier of breeder shrimps for other localities, creating thousands of jobs.
VINAFIS’s official letter pointed out six reasons for not dumping waste into the sea and asked the ministry to verify contents of the license.
Beside mud and sand, waste from dredging the seabed to develop a turning basin near the special-use port for the Vinh Tan 1 Thermal Power Plant also contains toxic substances, the association said.
Sand and pebble can sink onto the seabed within several days, but mud might be carried away by currents, waves, tides and storms towards Hon Cau Marine Protected Area, it said.
Province and the dumping of waste of Vinh Tan 1 project into the sea can set a bad precedent, it noted, adding that dredging activity near estuaries can also cause landslides.
The Law of the Sea allows the dumping of waste into the sea but requires environmental impact assessment reports, the association said, adding waste must be dumped offshore instead of coastal waters.
VINAFIS said environmental impact assessment reports must be passed around for public comment. However, according to VINAFIS, the issue had been kept in the dark until the license was issued.
State media has reported that some environmentalists have not participated in environmental impact assessment procedures but their names were included in the report of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Many activists and experts have raised concern over the dumping plan, saying it will affect the central coastal region’s environment.
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July 25, 2017
Vietnam Association Objects to Discharge of Mud into Binh Thuan Shore
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
by Defend the Defenders, July 25, 2017
The Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafis) has requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to urgently nullify a license for Vinh Tan 1 Power Company Ltd. which to allow the China-invested company to discharge nearly one million cubic meters of dredged sediments into the waters off Binh Thuan province.
In a letter signed by its Chairman Nguyen Viet Thang, VINAFIS proposed the ministry to revoke the license and establish an independent inspection team to assess environmental impacts of sediments including mud, sand and shells on the sea and review the objectivity and integrity of those issuing the license.
VINAFIS said the coastal fishing grounds off Binh Thuan province are home to scarce marine species such as lobsters, crustaceans and mollusks. Hon Cau Marine Protected Area, which is eight kilometers from the area where Vinh Tan 1 Power Company will dump sediments, is home to coral reefs, seaweed and marine creatures.
Together with Binh Dinh province, Binh Thuan province owns one-third of the nation’s shrimp farms nationwide and is a large supplier of breeder shrimps for other localities, creating thousands of jobs.
VINAFIS’s official letter pointed out six reasons for not dumping waste into the sea and asked the ministry to verify contents of the license.
Beside mud and sand, waste from dredging the seabed to develop a turning basin near the special-use port for the Vinh Tan 1 Thermal Power Plant also contains toxic substances, the association said.
Sand and pebble can sink onto the seabed within several days, but mud might be carried away by currents, waves, tides and storms towards Hon Cau Marine Protected Area, it said.
Province and the dumping of waste of Vinh Tan 1 project into the sea can set a bad precedent, it noted, adding that dredging activity near estuaries can also cause landslides.
The Law of the Sea allows the dumping of waste into the sea but requires environmental impact assessment reports, the association said, adding waste must be dumped offshore instead of coastal waters.
VINAFIS said environmental impact assessment reports must be passed around for public comment. However, according to VINAFIS, the issue had been kept in the dark until the license was issued.
State media has reported that some environmentalists have not participated in environmental impact assessment procedures but their names were included in the report of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Many activists and experts have raised concern over the dumping plan, saying it will affect the central coastal region’s environment.