Vietnam News January, 04 2016

DAK NONG (VNS) — The Long Viet MDF Wooden Technology JSC has been slow to improve its environmental protection practices even though the Dak Nong Province authorities have punished them several times.

Dozens of households in Thuan Hanh Commune, Dak Song District reported that the company started its work in 2009, mostly producing wooden items.

Since then, the company has discharged waste into the environment, damaging the health of residents.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, who lives in the commune's Thuan Tan Village, said that dust covered everything in the commune, including furniture and plants.

The air was often so polluted it was like fog, he said.

The smell of wood was so uncomfortable people had to wear masks, said Hoa.

Due to the dust, the productivity of coffee trees and other plants decreased.

Hoa added that a lot of local people suffered from respiratory diseases. Many parents had to send their small children to other places to live.

Vi Thi Huong, who lives next to the company, said that the company also discharged untreated waste water into the environment. A speaker from the provincial police said that the company improved its polluted practices, but the improvement has been too slow. — VNS

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