There we go Villagers wait for dead fish findings Natharn villagers in Pakngum district of the capital expressed their concerns over health safety of after nothing has apparently been done about the massive numbers of dead fish found in the nearby lake. Fishing has been suspended after a huge number of fish died mysteriously last month in one of the most important lakes that feed more than 2,000 people in the village and also supply to markets in Vientiane. Villagers told Vientiane Times during a visit yesterday that they could not catch fish or earn their living unless they had been given a definite cause for the massive numbers of dead fish that occurred. The Department of National Resources and the Environment in Vientiane collected a water sample from the lake and they have already sent it for analysis by the main laboratory in Vientiane. The department hasn’t yet given details on when the results will be announced. Head of the Department Mr Phavanh Sihavong said that from an initial test his department found that chemical oxygen demand (COD) had reached an unusual level. His department used measuring equipment from Japan and while normal COD in rivers was about five percent, their test showed that the COD in Nongharn reached 50 percent. Further testing needs to be done to find out the exact figure, he said, adding that he could not give an exact date for publication of their findings as many sectors were involved. No-one collected the dead fish for examination so they all decomposed in the lake which extends over an area of 240 hectares and reaches depths of up to two metres. This is the second mass destruction of fish stocks at the lake. In 2009, waste from a nearby cassava processing factory owned by Lao-Indochina Group (LIP) public company caused the death of 3.5 tonnes of fish. On that occasion the dead fish were removed by local villagers. There are several duck farms operated by Vietnamese people by the lake as well as pig farms and the LIP operation. Up to now, no one has come forward to take responsibility for the destruction. LIP Deputy Chief Executive Office Mr Duangdy Phommachamh, said he was aware of the problem and how concerned people are but he wanted all the sectors to scrutinise carefully before jumping to any conclusions. He said the company followed standard environmental practices, including monitoring COD before pumping their waste water into the river to ensure that it was safe enough to not have any environmental impact on Nongharn Lake. He said that water pumped from the company in the rainy season met the required standards and this had been proved by the relevant sectors. Villagers appealed to all sectors to urgently help them as they have been badly affected by this incident. Nonghan village Head Mr Siew Sydavong said they did not want to point fingers at anyone. What we want is help to keep the water clean to stop further damage, he said, adding that fair compensation for lost income was needed plus a suitable method to treat the water and maintain the fish population. We do not know what is going to happen if we eat the fish. We dont know about any health problems in the future. We could perhaps suffer from harmful chemical substances or unwanted side effects in the future if we eat the fish, he said.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 03:15:05 +0000
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