The Dong Nai Province Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced at a meeting recently that there is not enough evidence to blame the corrosion of ship hulls docked at Go Dau Port on water pollution in the Thi Vai River.
The Dong Nai Province Department of Natural Resources and Environment announced at a meeting recently that there is not enough evidence to blame the corrosion of ship hulls docked at Go Dau Port on water pollution in the
The meeting was convened to address port businesses and workers’ complaints and petitions that the area’s environmental conditions are damaging their health and assets.
Japanese cargo ships recently refused to dock at Go Dau for fear that the tainted water might corrode their ships’ underbodies, according to the Dong Nai Port Joint Stock Company.
Several shipping companies filed complaints with the Dong Nai Port Company about the problem and others have threatened to dock elsewhere if the situation persisted.
The Dong Nai Port Company said polluted water shortened the life span of the wharf, machinery and boats.
Research conducted by scientists as well as various departments and offices on the water and mud from the riverbed indicates no scientific basis to the businesses’ complaints, according to the Dong Nai’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Hoang Van Thong, head of Dong Nai’s Environmental Protection Department, said the polluted water at Go Dau Port had a pH level of 6.8-7.4, not enough to wear away at a boat’s hull.
Staff at Go Dau Port complained of sinusitis and headaches caused by the stench of the river. A representative of the province’s Health Department said more time would be needed to look into the workers’ claims.
Rivers not in the clear
However, the
Research indicates that pollution from floating and solid organic substances of the section of the
Water downstream from the area is too unsanitary for daily needs or agricultural production.
The most polluted of Dong Nai’s waterways, the
Mercury and zinc levels in the river is 1.5 to 4 times and 3 to 4 times higher than permited, respectively. Coliform, a bacteria causing gastrointestinal disorders, is hundreds of times higher than permitted.
According to the Environmental Protection Department, untreated wastewater from millions of households and thousands of factories is the principal culprit of the
There are around 60 industrial zones in the
(Source: VNS)
