Black mark against MeiSheng

May 21, 2012 | 12:26

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A Taiwanese textile firm’s dying workshop has been shut down due to its soiling of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

A Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Inspectorate Section source told VIR MeiSheng Textiles Vietnam Company had reached D day.

“MeiSheng has seriously polluted the environment. We have several times imposed fines on it, but its polluting continued. MeiSheng is the only foreign firm to damage the environment in the area. Its dying workshop will be able to resume normal operations after the installation of its new waste water treatment system is approved,” the source said.

Based in Chau Duc district’s Ngai Giao town and beginning operations in April 2008, the firm two months ago was found to be dumping untreated waste into the environment, contaminating the nearby Da Den lake, which provides 90 per cent of living water for local inhabitants.

Local media reported that in July 2010 the firm’s illegally-made waste water conducting system cracked, with waste water poisoning the environment. In September 2010, it was hit with fines totaling VND335 million ($16,100) and forced by local authorities to rebuild its waste water treatment system.

“However, the construction of such a system remains uncompleted, because the waste water system is 9.2 kilometres long, which is too long,” said Tran Anh Duc, head of the provincial Department of Environmental Protection’s Environment Control Section.

In March 2012, MeiSheng was discovered having 1,250 workers operating in a substandard environment with much noise and dust. Moreover, the firm was also found to be using 15 foreign employees without work permits, local media reported.