LookAtVietnam – Farmers outside Ha Noi complain that smoke belching from brick kilns still ruin their paddy and threaten their health despite the persistent effort of district and commune officials to have them closed.

Smoke from brick kilns in many communes in Thuong Tin District damages the health of farmers and ruins their rice paddy.

The farmer says she transplanted 1.5 sao of rice – a sao equals 360sq.m – at Hoang Xa Hamlet, about 25km south of Ha Noi, early last month.

All of it withered and died.

Many of the hamlet’s households, who make the same complaint, have had to travel outside the hamlet to buy expensive seedlings to replace their lost rice but fear planting for the spring crop is overdue.

Subsidiary crops have also been damaged while fruit and ornamental trees have shed their leaves earlier than usual.

“My family has 27 areca nut and fruit trees and the smoke from the kilns has stripped all of them,” complains farmer Ho Thi Soan sadly.

Thuong Tin District Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau director Nguyen Van Phuc says hot fumes from the kilns have damaged about 550ha of rice in Thong Nhat, To Hieu and Le Loi communes.

In Thong Nhat Commune about 150ha of rice has been damaged with 30ha lost.

Ha Noi Agriculture and Rural Development Department’s Plant Protection Agency deputy director Do Danh Kiem says it’s the fumes and not insects that cause the rice to turn rusty.

People living near the kilns complain about a threat to their health.

Thong Nhat Commune residents say smoke from the kilns paints the sky grey as if it were covered in fog. The air is so heavy that many wear face masks when sleeping.

Strict enough?

Thong Nhat Commune People’s Committee chairman Hoang Van Thao reports the kilns owners were asked to stop firing bricks from no later than February 20 until the farmers finish their harvest in June.

Many owners had ignored the request and instead tried to extend the time for production to increase their profit.

Normally, the kilns work from October till mid-February.

Most are on river banks and cannot be fired between July and September when the waters rise and often flood.

The Thong Nhat and To Hieu people’s committees have now asked the kiln owners to compensate the farmers.

Hoang Van Thao says the owners have pledged VND100,000 (US$5.8) for each affected sao (360sq.m) of rice to help farmers in the three communes buy fertiliser or 200kg of rice for each unrecoverable sao of crop.

But many believe this is at best a temporary solution.

Thuong Tin District People’s Committee chairman To Van Cuong explains that the owners of 47 kilns were persuaded to stop working last year but most continued this year.

The district will punish members of the Thong Nhat Commune People’s Committee who allowed 29 kilns to continue working, he says.

“The district committee is determined to clear these brick kilns away.”

Thong Nhat Commune People’s Committee chairman Hoang Van Thao says that about 100 labourers, many from poor mountain provinces, are employed at each kiln.

Thuong Tin District People’s Committee Chairman To Van Cuong says vocational training classes will be held for the labourers.

The district will also provide seedlings for farmers with damaged crops to transplant.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News