Our reporter Zhang Ge, Cheng Ji'an, Chen Sihan, Zhou Nan, Liu Fangzhou
Recently, some netizens reported in the “National Shooting” column of the client of Xinhua News Agency: A mining company in Chaling County, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province used simple equipment to beneficiate, and sewage and ore flowed into a simple tailings pond.
The netizen mentioned that in September 2020, he had reported the situation to the relevant departments and received a reply saying that “Chaling County Hejian Mining re-selected the process, and the wastewater flows into the tailing pond to be recycled after precipitation.” At the end of 2020, this A netizen found that the tailings pond is still very crude.
This is taken in Zhumu Village, Linjiang Street, Chaling County, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province on January 2 (UAV photo).
Photo by our reporter Chen Sihan
After receiving the clues, the reporter hurried to investigate the incident.
On-site direct attack: iron ore is stacked in the open, and the sedimentation tank has not been treated with anti-seepage treatment
The reporter drove to Zhumu Village, Linjiang Street, Chaling County, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, and found the iron ore processing plant of Hejian Mining Company mentioned by netizens on a hillside.
The project is located next to the highway. When you walk in, you will see piles of iron ore, and part of the iron ore is directly exposed to the air without any cover.
Xiao Jianzi, a shareholder of Hejian Mining, was interviewed by reporters.
He told reporters that the company's iron ore processing project started construction in 2009 and went into operation in 2010.
The production process is to crush the iron ore, screen out the specification ore, and then produce iron fine powder through magnetic separation.
After primary sedimentation, the remaining tailings and waste water are discharged into a large sedimentation tank with an area of about 2600 square meters.
During the peak production period, 700 to 800 tons of tailings can be produced every year.
"The first few years are okay. In recent years, the domestic iron ore market has not been good, and production has basically been suspended." Xiao Jianzai pointed to a pile of iron ore where weeds grew. Stacked for many years.
Xiao Jianzai took the reporter to the "tailing pond" mentioned in the netizen report.
He explained that this is actually a sedimentation tank for storing wastewater.
The reporter saw at the scene that the wastewater in the sedimentation tank was dark in color and there were a lot of floating objects on the surface.
Faced with doubts from netizens, Xiao Jianzi first admitted that the sedimentation tank had not been anti-seepage treatment, and explained to reporters two reasons why it was not anti-seepage treatment: First, the wastewater in the sedimentation tank would be produced after being clarified. Recycling, there is no problem of efflux pollution; second, the water in the sedimentation tank is tested and meets the relevant standards, which means that even if there is a leakage, it will not cause harm to the surrounding environment.
Xiao Jianzi did not agree with the fact that the processing project had a large ecological environment hazard reported by netizens.
He said that the tailings in the sedimentation tank will be salvaged from time to time, and will be sold to the cement plant as auxiliary materials after drying, and will not be discarded at will.
Xiao Jianzai also added that no villager had come to report the pollution problem, and because the domestic iron ore market is not good, the project is basically in a state of suspension and will not cause pollution.
Surrounding villagers: heavy dust and noise pollution, iron ore ash on vegetable leaves
The reporter randomly visited some nearby villagers, and some villagers expressed their opinions on the project.
Yang Toulan, a villager in Zhenwu Village who lives two to three hundred meters away from the iron ore processing plant, said that when the processing plant started production, the air was obviously dusty, causing air pollution.
Villager Tan Wanyun told reporters that he originally had a vegetable plot under the hillside where the processing site was located. The leaves of the vegetable were covered with iron ore dust and could not be eaten.
"There is a layer of reddish ash on the vegetables. What is that not mine ash?" Villager Liu Yunxiang became excited when he heard that the reporter was learning about the people's views on the iron ore processing plant.
She told reporters that some villagers had a layer of red ash on the vegetable leaves, and the closer they were to the processing plant, the thicker the ash, which was obviously produced by iron ore processing.
In addition to the pollution caused by mine ash, noise has also affected the lives of surrounding villagers.
"It was produced last week. The rumbling was so loud that I couldn't sleep." Tan Wanyun reflected that the mine sometimes produces at night, and the noise produced is very loud, which seriously affects his sleep.
Some villagers have opinions on the location of mining companies, processing and production, and environmental protection measures, and questioned the lack of government supervision.
When asked whether any villagers had ever made suggestions to the company or reported to the relevant departments, Liu Yunxiang said that if the iron ore processing plant can be opened here, there must be local acquaintances, who are all folks from the village, and no one is leading. Everyone never went to the company to discuss the issue.
The reporter contacted the netizens who reported the problem in the "National Filming" column of the client of Xinhua News Agency.
"Simplified tailings ponds like this should not exist." This netizen believes that if companies encounter special circumstances in production, simple tailings ponds should only be used as temporary storage points, and should not exist and use for a long time. The bottom and surrounding areas should be treated with anti-seepage treatment, and the dam body should be cemented.
Environmental protection department: The wastewater has the risk of leakage, and the company has been ordered to stop production for rectification
The reporter then contacted the staff of the Chaling Branch of the Zhuzhou Ecological Environment Bureau and went to the scene to check.
Liu Chuang, Chief of the Laws and Publicity Section of the Chaling Sub-bureau, said: In September 2020, some people did report that the project was polluted. The bureau conducted an on-site investigation and found no discharge of sewage from the sedimentation tank, nor was it found that the surrounding environment was affected by it. Pollution.
In contrast to the sewage discharge standards of the iron ore mining and dressing industry, the water in the sedimentation tank has been tested to meet the standards.
However, Liu Chuang also said that the project has the following problems: First, the raw materials are not in the shed, which is easy to generate dust; second, cement should be poured on the bottom and four walls of the sedimentation tank to prevent sewage seepage treatment, but it is not actually treated. There is a risk of sewage leakage.
After the issue was exposed by the Xinhua News Agency's client "National Photography", on January 2, Xinhua News Agency reporters went to the scene to investigate.
On January 3, the Chaling Branch of the Zhuzhou City Ecological Environment Bureau issued a rectification notice to Hejian Mining, requiring the company to stop production and carry out rectification, impermeable treatment on the four sides and bottom of the sedimentation tank, and strengthen the tank. And build a raw material shed, and store the raw materials in the shed.
However, more netizens questioned, since more than three months have passed since the complaint about this issue was received in September 2020, there has been little improvement. It was not until Xinhua News Agency intervened in the investigation that the company was suspended for rectification. Whether the local government There are problems such as slow action and inaction.
Liu Chuang said that when the project was built, the procedures were complete, indicating that the environmental assessment was passed at that time.
In the past period of time, the related management was relatively extensive, and considering that this company has often been in a state of suspension since 2015, there will be no emissions without production, so these issues have not attracted enough attention.
Some netizens questioned that although the relevant indicators are up to standard, the surrounding people report that production and life have been affected, and in some rural areas, pollution problems similar to small-scale processing plants exist to varying degrees. The supervision work of the environmental protection department should be considered based on the opinions of the people. Otherwise, Prone to dogmatism.