The Hanoitimes - People in a commune in the central province of Quang Binh have denounced the management board of a local farm which has been using weedkiller for forest destruction, thereby affecting the lives of the locals.

Over  recent days, DTiNews reporters have received many calls from these people who said that the farm management board uses a large amount of herbicide to destroy the watershed forest so they can grow Acacia trees instead.

After the residents’ petition, Xuan Trach People’s Commitee sent documents to higher levels asking for intervention, but, the farm has continued their violation.

Xuan Trach is a mountainous and barren area where people are also facing the problem of water shortage, particularly in the dry season. Nearly 6,000 local people have to use water from these streams.

“We use the water source for drinking and other daily activities. But now this has been  done, it means that we are being poisoned. We are very worried,” a resident said.

The farm has also cut  trees at the natural forest over recent years, affecting the environment. For instance landslides and erosion are both problems caused by them.

Meanwhile, people in Xuan Trach Commune are short of land for reforestation and farming, a number of the farm officials have their own land fund of dozens of hectares for Acacia plantation, which brings them hundreds of millions of VND.

Speaking with DTiNews reporter, Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Vice Chairman of Xuan Trach Commune People's Committee said, “We expect that management agencies will take actions against the farm’s violations to protect local people’s lives.”