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Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha has confirmed with the press on July 29 that Formosa Steel Ha Tinh (FHS), the prime culprit of mass fish deaths in central Vietnam, has transferred $250 million in compensation to the Vietnamese government.
The announcement came after Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) reported to Parliament on the handling process of the environmental disaster that's been making headlines since April.
FHS has sent half of the compensation package to an account which will keep the money temporarily, said Ha. The government will distribute the first $250 million to affected localities. Each local authority will then be responsible for allocating the money. The remaining half of the compensation package will be transferred on August 28.
In a report to the National Assembly, Ha said the MONRE is working on a plan to handle and fix 53 administrative violations of FHS uncovered after the fish death scandal.
The minister added that the MONRE is developing a monitoring and observation system of marine environmental quality across all central provinces, which will extend to Thanh Hoa and Da Nang.
"After the Formosa incident, we've drawn lessons on management of environmental resources and standards, environmental impact assessment, inspection and checks when it comes to investment projects with a large environmental footprint," Ha said.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that his ministry had earlier proposed a support policy for people in four central provinces. The ministry is in charge of providing support for incurred losses and restoring fishing resources as assigned by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Taiwanese company Formosa hit the headlines recently for causing one of the biggest environmental disasters in Vietnamese history, killing tons of fish across four coastal provinces. The company’s test-run led to the discharge of toxic substances into the sea, including phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxide.
FHS has officially apologized to the Vietnamese people and promised to pay $500 million in compensation to make up for the damage. The firm also promised to compensate local people for economic losses, help them find new jobs and subsidize clean-up activities.
It pledged to rehabilitate the marine environment in the four affected provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue, fix its sub-standard wastewater treatment system and work with Vietnamese authorities to protect the environment in central Vietnam.
Related news:
> Toxic disaster from Taiwanese company affects 200,000 people: Vietnam gov't
> Formosa offers $500 mln to compensate Vietnam for catastrophic environmental damage
