“Tunnel Construction Chemical Leak Causes Mass Fish Deaths in Kasy District”, 19 February 2020

A chemical leak at a construction site on part of the Lao-China Railway has caused the deaths of fish and contaminated sections of the Nam Lik River in Kasy District, Vientiane Province…

Vientiane Times reports that according to initial inspections by the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department, polluted water was discovered in Viengkeo and Nathaen villages, where 4-5 kg of dead fish were collected from the river.

The water has been contaminated by chemicals leaking from a construction site related to a tunnel dug as part of the Lao-China Railway.

Testing of the contaminated water is being undertaken, and authorities have advised all residents to refrain from consuming water from the river until results have been confirmed.

According to some sources, a meeting was held… between the construction company and the Deputy Head of the Kasy District Office of Natural Resources and Environment to assess the damage, and it is expected that the company will be held accountable…