Wastewater spillage prompts fine

Wastewater spillage caused by a breach in the reservoir of a Vietnamese food company has prompted a VND1.3 billion (£44,000) fine to be imposed by authorities.

Asian pig breeder San Miguel Pure Foods Vietnam will be forced to pay up after spilling 200,000 cubic metres of wastewater into the Thi Tinh river in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam.

The sum of the administrative fine was recommended to the People’s Committee by the provincial department of natural resources and environment, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Once the cost of the damage has been confirmed, the company will also have to pay compensation to local people, as a large number of fish were killed in the river by the untreated wastewater.

In related news, a wastewater system upgrade worth millions of dollars is currently being planned by officials in the New Hampshire city of Portsmouth, which began looking to enhance its Peirce Island-based wastewater treatment facilities in 2007.

Written by Joseph Hutton