Invested and built about 5 years ago, this farm is owned by Mr. Trinh Xuan Thuong (residing in Chu Se town, Chu Se district, Gia Lai). The farm consists of 2 separate pig raising areas, with a capacity of 10,000 pigs, located less than 1km from the residential area and has a waste treatment system. The wastewater reservoirs are made in the style of filter tanks, lined with simple canvas and not covered thoroughly. The stench from feces and wastewater is strong, especially on hot days, making people around have difficulty breathing and feel nauseous.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Tam, Ia Sa village, H’bong commune, is upset: The people here can’t stand it anymore. The stench makes it impossible for villagers to eat, drink, or sleep, especially during hot weather like today. Several residential clusters in Ia Sa village are all affected by this stench. People worry about the health of their families, especially young children.
Not only air pollution, water sources here are also seriously affected. People living around this area said that most of the water for daily use comes from wells, has an unpleasant odor, and cannot be used. This makes everyone worry that water sources are contaminated by wastewater from farms, causing risks of skin diseases, digestive diseases and cancer.
Not far from the residential area of Tnung village, H’bong commune, nearly 3 hectares of rice and crop land of 10 ethnic minority households cannot be cultivated. Explaining this, Mr. Ro Lan Kip, a household whose farmland is affected by wastewater from the above mentioned pig farm, said that every rainy season, the wastewater is green from the farm’s reservoirs. Pigs discharged directly into the rice fields of his family and neighboring households, causing rice, crops, and plants to be damaged and die.
“The land is pitch black, it is impossible to grow anything. The rice grown has black seeds, does not yield well, the cooked rice has a bad smell and cannot be eaten.” – Mr. RoLan Kip was upset.
Mr. Than Van Hien, Tnung village, H’bong commune, said that the people of Tnung village sent petitions and called for help everywhere, but nothing came of it. The farm owner promised to take measures to improve, but these were just “empty” promises. People waited for a long time but did not see the situation progress.
Mr. Trinh Xuan Thuong, owner of the above mentioned pig farm, admitted that the stench can sometimes affect people living nearby. According to Mr. Thuong, working in the livestock industry all follow general procedures and farms comply with environmental impact assessment regulations approved by the Provincial People’s Committee. But this situation only happens occasionally, when there is a problem with the waste treatment equipment system.
Mr. Thuong added that the family’s pig farm is operating in the form of raising pigs for a Korean company, with a quantity of 10,000 pigs and all breeds and feed are provided by this company. . Mr. Thuong affirmed that the farm operates according to regulations and has all relevant documents.
Faced with this situation, people hope that authorities at all levels will soon intervene to deal with it completely, ensuring health and the surrounding living environment.
