Four months after a wastewater incident, Vietnam's central beaches have been deemed safe for swimming.

The announcement was made by the country's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on Aug. 22 at a conference it organized in cooperation with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Quang Tri local officials and the Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Back in April, a large number of fish turned up dead in the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, resulting in massive losses in livelihood for fish farmers in the affected areas. In June, the fish deaths were traced to wastewater dumped by the Vietnamese arm of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group.

Officials from Formosa-owned Ha Tinh Steel have publicly apologized for the incident and have pledged to compensate for damages with $500 million. The steel plant is located in Ha Tinh's Vung Ang Economic Zone but the water current carried the wastewater it dumped to Thua Thien-Hue. According to tests, the wastewater included toxic substances like phenol and cyanide.

Aside from providing monetary compensation for the incident, Ha Tinh Steel also promised to improve its technology to guarantee that the wastewater it produces has been fully treated before being released into the environment. Additionally, other sustainable solutions will be developed to prevent the occurrence of other environmental incidents.

At the conference, several experts discussed their findings, including Professor Mai Trong Nhuan from the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, who said that water samples taken from 19 beaches scattered across the four provinces involved in the wastewater incident were all within normal limits. He also said that toxic substances found at the bottom of the sea have also been decreasing in levels significantly, allowing the ecosystem to recover.

However, where current patterns prevent toxic substances from dissipating more rapidly, further monitoring will have to be carried out. Some of the areas this applies to include Son Cha Island in Thua Thien-Hue, the Nhat Le Beach in Quang Binh and Son Duong Port in Ha Tinh.

But while the beach water has been declared safe for swimmers, it will require further testing to determine if fish in the area can be safely consumed. Specifically, that's fish caught within 20 nautical miles off the coasts of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh.

As Vietnam's worst environmental disaster, the four-province wastewater incident devastated not only the country's fishing industry but its tourism efforts as well.

Photo: Julie Aubé | Flickr