VietNamNet Bridge – Many months have elapsed since the day hundreds of tons of toxic pesticide were found in the central province of Thanh Hoa. However, state management agencies still keep discussing about what to do with the chemicals.

Nicotex Thanh Thai Joint Stock Company, which was recently found dumping untreated hazardous chemicals in the central province of Thanh Hoa's Cam Van Commune, received a fine of over VND421 million (US$20,000).

However, what people are more interested – how to treat the toxic chemicals – remains unclear.

The local people in Cam Van Commune of Cam Thuy district have got impatient while waiting for the final decision by the competent agencies on the solutions to treat the chemicals.

The people don’t know where the decision is made, while they feel worried that the toxicity treatment process would harm their health.

The reporters, who were present on the site where Nicotex Thanh Thai’s pesticide was buried in late January, could see with their eyes a lot of bags containing chemicals lying in disorder on the ground, from which people could smell bad odor.

By that time, local people still had been continuing to dig pesticides under the earth.

They were told that the first phase of the toxicity process is implemented, while it’s unclear when the second phase begin, because the Thanh Hoa provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Nicotex Thanh Thai still could not reach an agreement on the treatment solution.

Cap Van Quan, in charge of supervising people in the area where the pesticide was found, said the contaminated area is very large, while the treatment went very slowly and the second phase of the process still could not start.

Also according to Quan, in principle, the toxic chemicals must be treated within 26 days since the day they are excavated. However, things remain inconclusive after a lot of months.

Quan went on to say that the local people did not agree with the suggested solution for the second phase to treat the toxicity on the spot after discovering that the chemicals absorbed too deeply into the earth. Meanwhile, some other pesticide areas have been discovered recently.

A group of 13 people was reportedly supervising Nicotex Thanh Thai’s works of settling the problems.

When asked about the next steps of the detoxification process, Luu Trong Quang, Deputy Director of the Thanh Hoa provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said the chemicals were being burnt in the first phase. The treatment in the second phase would follow the first one. Nicotex Thanh Thai would submit to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment the treatment plan for consideration and then report to the provincial authorities.

The local department would instruct the implementation of the plan after the plan gets the approval from the provincial authorities.

Also according to Quang, Nicotex Thanh Thai has only submitted the preliminary report on the technology, while it is still working with consultants on the details relating to sample taking and the budget for the processing.

Therefore, Quang said he still cannot give the answers to the press and local people about how the samples would be taken, which technologies to be used, how much the process will cost and which units will implement the works.

GD & XH