VietNamNetBridge– A construction company has been fined 38 million dong for discharging toxic water on nearby trees.

Toxic mud was used to fertilise trees.

The Binh Chanh Investment Construction JS Company, the developer behind the Le Minh Xuan Industrial Zone in HCM City, was fined by the Southern Environment Police Agency for polluting the environment.

This fine, nearly $2,000, was for discharging toxic wastewater and poorly controlling toxic waste. It has also been told to improve its wastewater treatment systems, plant trees in the polluted areas and treat the remaining toxic mud volume.

This company will also have to pay more than 2.5 billion dong (nearly $139,000) of environmental protection fees to treat more than 836,000 kg of toxic mud discharged from Le Minh Xuan Industrial Zone’s wastewater treatment plant.

The Zone didn’t treat toxic mud but instead used it to fertilize trees. The developer initially maintained that the mud was not toxic and they were allowed by the HCM City Department of Science and Technology to use it as fertilizer. However, environment police discovered the case in April 2004 and tested a number of samples of mud. The tests showed that the mud was toxic waste and must be treated.

Between 2007 and April 2009, the developer used over 836,000kg of waste mud to fertilize trees.

Trung Thanh