VietNamNet Bridge – Waste treatment remains a big headache for local authorities in the Mekong Delta. While open dumping on the ground pollutes the environment, modern waste treatment plants have been left idle.

People don’t want to live side-by-side with dumping grounds

Local people in the O Mon District of Can Tho City last week intercepted trucks carrying garbage to the dumping ground there. The city’s people’s committee had a two-day meeting with the protesters, requesting them to open the way for the garbage trucks.

However, despite a lot of promises made by the local authorities to ease the environmental pollution, people are continuing to protest against the garbage disposal in the locality.

In the past, when Can Tho was a province, the garbage was disposed of at the Tan Long dumping ground. Since 2004, when Can Tho Province was split into Can Tho City and Hau Giang Province, the Tan Long dumping ground has belonged to Hau Giang.

As Tan Long caused serious environment pollution, Hau Giang in late 2013 decided to shut it down. Consequently, Can Thonow has no place to dispose of its daily load of 400 tons of garbage. Therefore, “spontaneous” dumping grounds in various districts have arisen. O Mon is one of them.

Can Tho authorities vowed to build a high-technology waste treatment plant a long time ago. They reportedly sent staff to Hong Kong and the US to consider various technologies and selected contractors. However, no plant has been built so far.

Sources say that Can Tho City plans to kick off a 27 million Euro waste treatment plant project in May. The 300 ton per day plant, to be located in O Mon District, may be put into operation after 18 months of construction

As for Hau Giang Province, as Tan Long has been shut down, the existing one in Hiep Phuoc District has had to assume the workload of Tan Long as well. However, that dumping ground, located near schools and residential quarters, has also been facing protests from local residents.

Modern waste treatment plants still hibernating

In Hoa Phu Commune of Long Ho District in Vinh Long Province, there is an enormous open cast dumping ground with a record high of 15 meters in height.

The dumping ground has turned Long Ho into a well-known place. It receives 100 tons of garbage a day from different localities in the province, which are later dumped or treated with chemicals.

Le Van Hoa, 46, in Phu Hung Hamlet of Hoa Phu Commune, said he has been living there for the last several years, during which he has come down with a number of diseases.

“As you can see, there are so many flies and bluebottles in my house,” Hoa lamented. “I heard that a waste treatment plant was inaugurated some months ago. But garbage still keeps piling up”.

It is true that a waste treatment plant was put into operation some months ago. However, Hoa might have not been informed that the VND238 billion plant has already ceased operations, due to disagreements between the investor and Vinh Long provincial authorities.

NLD