Ca Mau (VNA) - The southernmost provinceof Ca Mau is taking preventive measures to manage pollutionhotspots at industrial zones and clusters, intensiveshrimp-farming establishments, and aquaculture processing facilities.

Ca Mau city’s rivers and canals are beingseriously polluted by wastewater discharged by industries andhouseholds.

Aquatic product processing establishments aredischarging untreated water, while nine units in the Hoa Trung Industrial Zonein Cai Nuoc district are generating waste gas, wastewater and bad odours,leading to complaints from nearby residents.

At the Song Doc Industrial Cluster and acontiguous area in Tran Van Thoi district, 12 industrial productionestablishments, including three seafood processing plants and nine fishmealproduction establishments, are polluting the water and surrounding environmentwith dust and bad odours.

Pollution levels around and in industrial zoneshave worsened because of fishmeal processing of rice husks and small-scalefishery establishments. Many of these facilities are located along riversand have no centralised wastewater treatment systems.

Trinh Van Len, Director of the provincialDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment, said the province was takingsteps to prevent pollution to enable green growth and sustainable development.

Last year, theprovince fined many local firms a total of more than 650million VND (28,555 USD) for violations related to environmentaland water protection.

Len said the department would improve the localgovernment’s supervision and inspection responsibilities related toenvironmental protection.

All households have been encouraged to signcommitments by the end of May to maintain environmental sanitation andnot throw waste into rivers and canals, according to Len.

In addition, more inspections will be scheduledat pollution hotspots, and surveillance cameras will be installed in publicareas.

Two teams of staff who will overseeenvironmental protection activities in Ca Mau city have also been established.

At the Hoa Trung Industrial Zone, the provincialPeople’s Committee has assigned the Department of Natural Resources andEnvironment to work with other agencies to identify polluting facilities.

Production facilities have also been required toinstall emissions and wastewater treatment systems by the end of theyear.

By the end of June, they must installsurveillance cameras and electronic metres to transmit data tothe Natural Resources and Environment Department for analysis.

At the Song Doc Industrial Cluster, the provinceis calling for investment in construction of infrastructure projects covering a100ha area.

By the end of May 2018, the Department ofNatural Resources and Environment plans to provide technical guidance tofacilities using rice husk boilers to ensure they are following nationalenvironmental standards.

If production establishments do not meetrequirements by the end of the year, their operations would be suspended, thedepartment said.-VNA