A fertilizer production plant in Long An Province, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, has been fined over 300 million Vietnamese Dong (11,800 United States Dollars) for discharging waste into the river, impacting irrigation for hundreds of households. An Hung Nong Company Limited, the owner of the factory, must also collect the overflow wastewater that has spread to nearby residents' storage ponds within 10 days, according to an announcement by Long An authorities on Tuesday.

In mid-May, internal canals spanning tens of kilometers turned black and emitted a foul odor. The pollution spread to canals in Tien Giang Province, which borders Long An. These canals irrigate hundreds of hectares of rice and pineapple fields, leading local authorities to advise residents not to pump water for agricultural use.

Inspections by Long An's functional departments revealed that wastewater was flowing from the plant onto a resident's land before spilling into a canal. The plant produces 9,500 tons of organic fertilizer annually.

An Hung Nong Company Limited representative explained that the wastewater discharge occurred due to a broken pipeline during wall construction, causing 3-4 cubic meters of wastewater to flow into the canal daily.

After collecting and testing water samples, authorities found that many indicators exceeded permissible levels: suspended solids nearly 100 times, total phosphorus 44 times, and BOD5 and COD indicators over 2,000 times the limits.

Between 2019 and 2023, the company had been fined nearly 500 million Vietnamese Dong on three different occasions for environmental pollution violations.