Vietnamese authorities say red streaks of sea water have been detected near the Taiwanese Formosa Ha Tinh Steel plant, the same plant responsible for last year’s environmental disaster in the country.

According to state-run news agency VnExpress, workers at a port near the plant reported two 50-metres long red streaks.

One was detected along a port in Ha Tinh’s Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ky Anh Town, and another outside a dam which protects the port from the sea.

There have been no reports of affected sea creatures yet.

Deputy mayor of Ky Anh, Phan Duy Vinh,, said a similar 100-meter long stretch of red sea water was discovered in the area on January 19, adding that analysis showed it was caused by organic pollution and waste discharged by humans.

Last April, waste water from the Vietnamese unit of Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group killed more than 100 tonnes of fish along 200 kilometers of Vietnam’s central coastline.

The company agreed to pay US$500 million in compensation to the Vietnamese government, but compensation has not found its way to all those affected yet, prompting frequent protests.

The Vietnamese environment ministry has said the country’s central region is expected to take a decade to completely recover from the incident.

– with other agencies