Garbage "encircles" National Highway 20
Hundreds of tons of garbage are accumulated and piled up along National Highway 20, the section passing through the center of Di Linh and Hoa Ninh communes (Lam Dong). This situation has lasted for more than half a month, while the solutions of functional agencies and local authorities have not been effective.
Records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters show that along National Highway 20 stretching more than 20km from Hoa Ninh commune to Di Linh commune, garbage appears everywhere. Garbage piled up in large and small piles, surrounding residential areas, spilling onto the road surface, causing traffic obstruction and serious pollution.
Garbage accumulated for a long time emitted a strong stench, seriously affecting the lives and activities of local people. In front of many households, grocery stores, eateries, garbage piled up, flies clinging to it.
According to Ms. Nguyen Hai Ha, owner of a vermicelli noodle shop in Hoa Ninh commune, the situation of garbage accumulation is not new for one or two days but has lasted for more than half a month. “In the section passing through the center of Hoa Ninh commune alone, there are hundreds of piles of large and small garbage. Garbage left for a long time smells foul, flies fly all over, very terrible. My family's restaurant is surrounded by garbage in front of the door, causing serious pollution, seriously affecting business, for the past few days there have been almost no customers,” Ms. Ha complained.
Sharing the same sentiment, Mr. Tran Van Thu (Di Linh commune) said: "Every month, people still pay full environmental sanitation fees, but garbage is everywhere, causing serious pollution and unsightliness. Not only local people but anyone passing by is fed up when they see garbage everywhere.
No definitive solution yet
Talking to reporters, Mr. Hoang Trung Kien - Director of the Di Linh Regional Construction Investment Project Management Board - said that the main reason for the accumulation of waste is that the Gung Re landfill is overloaded. Not only waste along National Highway 20, but waste in many residential areas of the old Di Linh district is also accumulating.
According to Mr. Kien, the collection and treatment of accumulated waste is facing many difficulties. To solve the immediate problem, the Board is coordinating with the People's Committee of Di Linh commune to handle the site at Gung Re landfill to create more gathering locations. The waste treatment plant in Lien Dam commune currently cannot receive waste due to not completing the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
We are coordinating with localities to find solutions to collect and treat the amount of garbage accumulated along National Highway 20 to ensure environmental sanitation and urban aesthetics; and at the same time propagate and mobilize people to sort garbage at source, not to dump garbage on the road to limit pollution," Mr. Kien said.
While the collection unit is still struggling to find solutions, local people continue to live with pollution. Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (Hoa Ninh commune) worried: "Waste surrounds and causes serious pollution, with a strong stench. If this situation persists, the risk of disease outbreaks is very high. People hope that the government will soon have decisive measures to handle it.
In further exchange, Mr. Tran Nhat Thi - Chairman of Di Linh Commune People's Committee - said that in the immediate future, the locality is coordinating with the Project Management Board to mobilize waste collection vehicles at Gung Re landfill to create a place to receive waste.
Gung Re landfill is overloaded, so this is just a temporary solution. In the long term, it is necessary to soon complete the EIA assessment so that Lien Dam Waste Treatment Plant can go into operation. The locality has reported to the Provincial People's Committee, proposing to soon remove obstacles to thoroughly solve the current situation of waste accumulation," Mr. Thi said.
