Thanh Hoa villagers suffer from overloaded dumping site

People in the mountainous area of Thanh Hoa Province have complained about pollution caused by nearby overloaded rubbish dump.

Overloaded dumping site in Thanh Hoa

Rubbish can be seen along the road leading to the site in Ne Cam Village. Le Thi Tu, a villager in Ne Cam, said, "When it rains, the water from the dumping site leaks and there are flies everywhere along with a foul smell. The rubbish also blocked the path leading into the forest."

The locals all hope that the authorities will move the site elsewhere. According to Lang Chanh Town People's Committee, the site covers three hectares and about 900 households and 40 agencies are registered to dump their rubbish there. Last year, they signed a contract with Duc Anh Company to deal with the rubbish.

The pollution is caused by people who dump rubbish there illegally. The authorities have sent employees to patrol the area but they haven't been able to catch them.

Nguyen Viet Thang, head of the Lang Chanh District Department of Natural Resources and Environment said, "While the project was still in development, we already calculated the safe distance from the site to the underground water source and to the residential area. But because of overloading, heavy rains will cause the wastewater reservoir to overflow. Because of the slopes, this problem will be difficult to deal with."

The authorities in Lang Chanh have planned to expand and upgrade the site. However, because of their limited budget, this has yet to happen. They have proposed to Thanh Hoa People's Committee to expand the site to minimise the impact of the site on the residents.