Environment pollution at Ba Bo Canal in Thu Duc District has worsened without solutions in sight.

Deputy mayor gives companies six months notice they will be shut down if they don’t have adequate wastewater treatment facilities.

A meeting of members of HCMC People’s Council, which oversees the work of the HCMC People’s Committee, or the city administration, warned the pollution situation could no longer be ignored.

“We have had enough of vague solutions. Today the city authorities have to cut to the chase and spell out specific measures they will take because pollution is only getting worse,” People’s Council Deputy Dang Van Khoa told Tuesday’s meeting.

People’s Council deputies unanimously called for tougher penalties against companies that flout environmental regulations, as the current fines were nothing more than a slap on the wrist, with next-to-no effect as a deterrent.

“Over the past 15 years the city authorities have bungled environment protection, leaving residents bearing the brunt of the economic and health damages,” People’s Council Deputy Truong Trong Nghia said.

The atmosphere of the meeting became even more heated as screens showed the heavy contamination at pollution hotspots such as the Le Anh Xuan Industrial Park in Binh Chanh District or the Ba Bo Canal in Thu Duc District.

Local residents say that since the Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park was built in 1997 the canal water has turned black and tons of fished have been killed.

The residents blame the companies in for discharging huge amounts of effluent into the water, saying the chemicals have reduced crop outputs.

Pollution in Ba Bo Canal in HCMC’s Thu Duc District has also been an ongoing issue for locals, who suffer its strong fumes every day.

At a recent meeting, the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment admitted it would be difficult to penalize polluters properly under the current regulations.

But the excuse met with vehement opposition from deputy Pham Minh Tri at Tuesday’s meeting.

Tri said the HCMC government should admit its irresponsibility rather than point the finger at insufficient regulations.

Tri also slammed the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for its weak environmental protection efforts.

“It is unacceptable that while the pollution gets worse day by day the [natural resources and environment] department has just focused on amending land and housing regulations,” Tri said.

He also warned the development target of the city was a recipe for disaster as more urbanization would mean more pollution.

HCMC Deputy Mayor Nguyen Trung Tin told the meeting that mass inspection of industrial parks and export processing zones would continue until the end of March next year.

Companies based in industrial parks or export processing zones will have their licenses revoked or be removed from the areas if their wastewater systems fall short of the required standards, Tinh warned.

Reported By Minh Nam