Two Đà Nẵng steel plants told to close

Slag is released at the Dana Úc plants during steel production.

The announcement came from Hồ Kỳ Minh, the committee’s vice chairman, in a dialogue between the city, local residents and representatives of the two companies on Thursday.

Minh said the two companies would have to install air and dust filters, treat waste water treatment and halt illegal dumping near their factories.

He also asked the city’s natural resources and environment department set up a community-based supervision team, ensuring local residents and experts check the steel factories regularly.

Mai Xuân Thọ, a local representative from Hòa Vang District’s Hòa Liên Commune, said the two steel companies--which started operation in 2006-- have discharged untreated fumes, dust and waste water into the environment.

“The two plants situated near the residential area of the two villages for years have operated at maximum capacity from 10pm till next morning, emitting polluted air, dust and much noise,” Thọ said.

“The two steel plants also buried hundreds of slag in their backyards, and it polluted many residents living nearby,” he added.

Thọ also asked the city’s agencies to investigate the steel companies’ solid waste dumping, and he requested the two companies stop polluted production and move away from living quarters.

Huỳnh Văn Tân, the director of Dana Ý company, confessed that the company’s steel plant released untreated fumes and dust into the environment as well as dumping slag at the company’s yard.

Local residents block the entrance of the Dana Ý steel plant in Liên Chiểu district in protest against pollution. VNS Photo Hữu Long

Lê Minh Phú, a local resident, said the pollution had seen existed for years and this time was so serious that exceeded local endurance.

Phú said local administration should impose a strict control on the operation of the two plants, or pollution reduction measures would be given.

Ngô Chối, 60, a villager in Vân Dương 2 village, said that pollution would be a major cause of cancer and skin disease among local residents for years.

He said farm produce in the two villages also suffered heavy losses and damages due to polluted air and dusty crops.

The vice chairman of the city also asked the construction department to plan a resettlement for local residents and the two plants to assigned industrial zones.

According to report from the natural resources and environment department, Dana Ý company’s steel plant was built on 15ha in Hòa Khánh Bắc in Liên Chiểu district with a capacity of 630,000 tonnes of pig-iron and hot-rolled steel for construction.

Meanwhile, Dana Úc company was built in Hòa Vang District with a capacity of 450,000 tonnes of pig-iron and construction steel each year.

The two plants were built in two districts, but it mainly polluted the community in the two villages in Hòa Liên Commune of Hòa Vang District.