Concerns growing over bauxite mining projects

Opinions still differ on the issues of Vietnam’s two bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands in the wake of a massive red mud spill in Hungary this month.

 

The catastrophe in western Hungary, which forced hundreds of local dwellers out of their homes, contaminated the soil and decimated wildlife, has raised the concerns about two underway projects in Vietnam.

 

But when it comes to deciding whether the government should put an end to the projects, there are different opinions from National Assembly deputies, scientists and project developers.

 

Ho Uy Liem, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Science and Technology Associations on Monday told Tuoi Trethe association last year reported to the Politburo why the projects should be reviewed given environmental risks but the proposal was turned down.

 

He said the scientists are now ready to hold a dialogue with the government and project developers to discuss the issues once again.

 

He reiterated the risks of a red mud spill in the Central Highlands similar to that in Hungary due to huge rainfall of the region.

 

Meanwhile, Le Duong Quang, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, who doubles as board chairman of the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, the partner of China's state-owned aluminum company Chalco on the mines, said he was quite assured of the safety of the red mud disposal lakes in the Central Highlands.

 

However, Quang said the group will be willing to close the projects if the government orders them to.

 

Last Saturday Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of the Government Office, told the press the government will continue to gather opinions before deciding whether to halt the projects.

 

“It’s necessary to listen to concerns of the public and intellectuals, but we need time to analyze them before reaching a final decision,” he said.

 

National Assembly deputies have different opinions about whether to halt the bauxite mining projects, with the majority of lawmakers asking the government to hold further discussions on the issues.

 

Deputy Nguyen Lan Dung of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak said he was confused about the projects’ economic benefits, but added that it was “pretty hard to close the projects.”

 

Nguyen Van Ban, who formerly headed Vinacomin’s aluminum project, said in an interview with Tuoi Tre on Sunday that when there are fears that the projects are not safe, it’s a right move to halt them.

 

“The catastrophe in Hungary was serious,” Ban said. “It’s a painful lesson because Hungary is among countries with leading technologies in bauxite mining,” he said.

 

A group of scientists and intellectuals have signed a petition asking the government to halt the projects to conduct further research and gather public opinion on the matter, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

 

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh and former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Hung Vo are among the petitioners.

 

The six-page petition was sent to top officials in the Party and government.

 

The petitioners said canceling the mines would represent a 'painful decision such as has never been taken in our economic history' but that it is better to 'suffer now than to leave the consequences to the future.'

 

According to Reuters, hundreds of villagers were evacuated in the Oct. 4 spill of industrial waste at an alumina plant in western Hungary that was owned by MAL Zrt. Nine people were killed and 150 injured, mainly by chemical burns, in the disaster.

 

A million cubic meters of lethal red mud surged out of the reservoir, flooding three villages and farmland and fouling rivers including a tributary of the Danube. 

A six-page petition calling for an end to the two bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands was signed by 15 former senior officials and intellectuals and sent to top officials in the Party and government.   Signatories include former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, and Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.   The petition calls on the government to close the underway projects and cancel any future ones, quoting earlier research saying the mines would produce minimal economic benefits and pose severe environmental risks.