Hoa Binh Sugar Cane and Sugar Joint Stock Company and the Thach Thanh District People's Committee in Thanh Hoa Province have agreed on compensation of VND1.4 billion (USD62,695) for local fish farmers after the company admitted polluting the Buoi River and killing tonnes of fish.

A farmer in Thach Thanh District in Thanh Hoa Province besides the dead fish at her farm, which were killed by the polluted water in the Buoi River

At a meeting held yesterday between the company's leaders and local authorities, a compensation rate of VND80,000 (USD3.60) per kilo of fish killed by the company's untreated waste water to the river was decided, which seems a too light fine.

According to the meeting, 34 farmers households in the area which reported a total fish deaths of 17 tonnes due to the polluted water will receive VND1.4 billion (USD62,695).

Local authorities also asked the company to provide rice for 71 households who are living on fish farming on the river to help them stabilise life for the next six months but the company said that they would consider the proposal and respond later.

Local people in several communes in Thach Thanh District found huge numbers of their fish on the Buoi River dying since May 4.

At a meeting with the departments of Natural Resources and Environment of the two provinces of Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh on May 5, leaders of the Hoa Binh Sugar Cane and Sugar Joint Stock Company admitted that they had released 250 to 300 cubic metres of untreated waste water a day into the river from March 15 to April 25.

An inspection from local authorities showed that over 17 tonnes of farmed fish had died while there was no report on the number of wild fish killed in the river.

Standing Deputy Chairman of Thanh Hoa Province People’s Committee, Nguyen Duc Quyen, told Vietnam News that the mass fish deaths were extremely serious, and had led to heavy losses for breeders but also a hazard to more than 1,000 local households that use water from the Buoi River, processed by Kim Tan Water Plant. The discharge also affected seven communes in the neighbouring Vinh Loc District which lie downstream of the river.