At a meeting hosted by the Tan Thanh Ward People's Committee on the morning of 29/4, Huynh Thi Le brought recently deceased fish and dried fish to illustrate the extent of the damage. She stated her family invested nearly 2 billion dong across 2 ha to raise eel and goby. Mass fish deaths have caused heavy losses. "If we don't receive timely support, we don't know how to restart production," she said.

Dead fish in khom 4, Tan Thanh Ward collected by residents. Photo: An Minh

Echoing these concerns, Dang Van Nam reported that about 60% of his family's fish stock had died. The deceased fish were removed, and only about 40% are currently struggling to survive. According to him, the fish deaths were scattered over many days, making initial damage assessment difficult.

Residents of khom 3 and 4 suspect the cause is saltwater contamination resulting from the construction unit pumping sand for the project. The affected households have requested authorities to publicize the environmental impact assessment report and water quality analysis results from the area surrounding the project.

A representative from the Ca Mau Provincial Environmental Protection Sub-Department stated they took water samples for testing, initially noting high salinity. Specialists are now comparing these findings against aquaculture water standards and previous data to reach an official conclusion.

Dead gobies collected and disposed of by residents. Photo: An Minh

Nguyen Truong Giang, Vice Chairman of the Tan Thanh Ward People's Committee, announced that on 4/5, relevant agencies and the construction unit will visit each household to conduct on-site inspections, documenting the extent of damage to form a basis for proposed solutions.

Khom 3 and 4 are primary agricultural and aquaculture production zones in Tan Thanh Ward. During the peak dry season, saltwater intrusion into canals further complicates water sourcing for fish farming and cultivation. Initial statistics show 83 households are affected.

The Ca Mau Airport expansion and upgrade project has a total investment of approximately 2.400 billion dong. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) is the investor. The project includes building a new runway 2.400 m long and 45 m wide, investing in taxiways, an apron, and expanding the passenger terminal.

Chuc Ly