Vietnam: Ha Tien 1 ordered to relocate

The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee has demanded Ha Tien 1 Cement cease operation of its Thu Duc cement grinding station and relocate the plant.

The company earlier proposed relocating its Thu Duc cement grinding station to District 9 and scaling up the capacity of its Phu Huu grinding station. However, the city government has turned down the proposal as they had concerns regarding the facility’s possible pollution to nearby residential areas.

In an announcement sent to Ha Tien 1 Cement, municipal authorities ordered the company to find a new location to replace the Thu Duc grinding plant by the end of 2016 in line with the city’s master zoning plan for the construction sector.

The city government has assigned the People’s Committee of Thu Duc District, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Police Department to closely monitor the operation.

For over 10 years the government has been ordering multiple production facilities to move out of the city owing to heavy pollution. However some have failed to relocate, forcing authorities to take strong action including cutting power and water supplies.

The cement factory, covering 104ha in Thu Duc District, has been asked to relocate since 2003.