In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, the demand for cleaning and repairing houses of people in the Capital is increasing, leading to a large amount of bulky waste and construction waste arising. However, instead of being collected and treated according to regulations, the situation of illegally dumping waste on streets, riversides, and dikes is becoming complicated, causing urban unsightliness and potential environmental pollution risks.
Reporters' records in some areas such as Nguyen Khoai dike, Tran Thanh Tong street, Yec Xanh area and especially along the Kim Nguu river bank show that many points are becoming "hot spots" for waste. Along these routes, it is not difficult to encounter piles of broken bricks, construction scaffolding, broken beds and cabinets, old tables and chairs scattered on the sidewalk, at the foot of the dike or next to the road.
Worryingly, in the Kim Nguu riverbank area, many sacks containing construction waste illegally dumped at night not only occupy public space but also risk drifting into the riverbed when it rains heavily, causing flow congestion and water source pollution. This situation goes against the efforts of Hanoi City in renovating and revitalizing inner-city rivers and deploying peak periods to solve "5 bottlenecks", in which environmental pollution is the central issue.
According to assessments by functional agencies, bulky waste and construction waste have large volumes and are difficult to collect, if not treated promptly, they will quickly turn into environmental "black spots", directly affecting people's lives and urban image.
Faced with the above situation, Hai Ba Trung Ward Police have implemented many drastic measures, not only stopping at propaganda and reminders. Over the past time, the ward police force has strengthened the review and data extraction from the security camera system in the area to track down subjects who commit acts of illegally dumping waste.
Through camera extraction, the ward police identified the identities of many violators. In addition to making records and imposing administrative fines according to regulations, functional forces also applied deterrent and educational measures: requiring violators to return to the scene to collect all illegally dumped garbage, return the ground to its original state and sign a commitment not to repeat the violation. This approach is assessed as tough, contributing to raising people's awareness of law compliance.
According to Mr. Dao Thanh Tung - Director of Hai Ba Trung Urban Environment Branch, the unit has proactively arranged 2 gathering points for bulky waste and construction waste to serve people, including a point on Hoa Ma street and a Van Don transfer point. However, reality shows that there are still many individuals and households who, for convenience or low cost, have secretly taken garbage to the streets, mainly at night or early morning.
This behavior not only puts great pressure on environmental sanitation workers during the peak period at the end of the year but also tarnishes the urban face, affecting the city's overall efforts in environmental protection," Mr. Tung said.
Also according to the leader of Hai Ba Trung Urban Environment Branch, to increase supervision efficiency, the unit is coordinating with functional forces to deploy the installation of an artificial intelligence (AI) application camera system. This system is expected to help detect early acts of illegal dumping of waste, automatically warn and provide clear data to serve violation handling.
Environmental experts believe that to completely handle the situation of illegal dumping of waste in the period near Tet, the synchronous involvement of the government, functional forces and especially people's awareness is needed. In addition to accelerating the installation of AI cameras, it is necessary to strengthen patrols and ambushes at "hot spots" such as Nguyen Khoai dike, Kim Nguu riverbank during sensitive hours.
In addition, local authorities and environmental sanitation units need to promote propaganda and widely announce the addresses of garbage collection points in Hoa Ma and Van Don to each residential group and household through loudspeakers, news boards, and Zalo community groups. At the same time, strictly apply the highest penalty according to regulations for the act of illegally dumping construction waste causing environmental pollution.
No matter how drastic the functional agencies are, it is difficult to achieve sustainable efficiency without people's self-awareness. A clean living space cannot be formed from convenient and irresponsible behaviors. Maintaining the urban environment is first of all the responsibility of each citizen towards their own common home.
