The Natural Resources and Environment Department of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang informed that the provincial People’s Committee has directed a temporary shutdown of the plasma medical waste incinerator located in Vinh Hoa Hiep Commune of Chau Thanh District.
This will be followed by careful investigation of functional agencies in order to verify the report of local dwellers about serious environmental pollution caused by the operations of the facility.
Accordingly, this plasma medical waste incinerator has lately released persistent unpleasant odor over a wide radius. Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the discharge of wastewater from the incinerator into the surrounding environment, potentially impacting the health and well-being of hundreds of households in the area.
In response to the public outcry, the Kien Giang Province People’s Committee has assigned the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment to cooperate with the province’s Project Management Board for Civil and Industrial Construction Investment, General Hospital, Science and Technology Department as well as relevant state departments to form a task force.
This team is in charge of monitoring the piloting operation of the above incinerator and establish a comprehensive inspection procedure, including collecting necessary samples to pinpoint the main cause of the alleged pollution.
Initial inspection results have confirmed the presence of environmental pollution stemming from the plasma medical waste incinerator, with a strong unpleasant odor emanating from the chimney stack, and significant black smoke deposits from the incinerator on residents' homes in the close vicinity.
The plasma medical waste incinerator falls under Contract Package 51.1E of the Kien Giang General Hospital Project, with the provincial Department of Health as the project investor.
