VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of people in Quang Binh Province have accused three local cement companies of polluting the environment, which they claim has led to the deaths of 50-60 people yearly.

Villagers suffer from high rate of illness.

According to the Chairman of Van Ninh Commune Nguyen Van The, the commune's population is decreasing due to various dangerous illnesses, especially lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. He said, "This has been going on for the last 10 years. Even though many families still have three children, our population continues to shrink.

The mortality rate is much higher than the birth rate."

68-year-old Pham Thi Ke, a local of Ang Son Village, said that after her husband died of lung cancer several years ago, her grandson died of the same illness. She does not know how to go about reporting the problem to authorities. The number of children who die of cancer has also increased recently.

Nguyen Ty, another resident, said his 3-year-old grandchild died of cancer while his other two grandchildren are experiencing growth problems. "It's worst in early morning. Our yard is covered in dust and we have to sweep the house several times a day," he said.

According to locals, one factory run by Cosevco Comapny had to shut down recently, while another factory is crushing clinker for Song Gianh Cement Company. However, they still have to deal with a factory of Vicem Hai Van Cement JSC. These factories run their electrostatic air cleaners most of the day but they release hazardous dust from 10pm until early morning.

Air pollution descends on the town.

Nguyen Van Quang, who lives near one of the factories said, "The dust looks strange. The sky turns yellowish whenever they release it, making it difficult to breathe. We have to wear masks in order to sleep. Even fish have died because of the dust that covers the lake's surface. I can't move anywhere because I don't have money, but several families have left."

In addition, the villagers are forced to deal with noise from the hammers and crushing machines. The stones even have damaged several houses nearby. "I was taking a nap when a loud bang woke me up. Then I saw a big stone was on my bed. It was pure luck I wasn't killed," Quang's wife said.

Reporters have been unable to contact the cement companies' leaders even though they have all claimed that they prioritise protecting the environment.

DTriNews/TP