Da Phuoc landfill, which covers 600 hectares, is around 20 kilometres from the city centre. It receives and treats the city’s entire waste. During the rainy season which starts in May, the landfill’s pollution worsens due to the high humidity.
This is also the time when the southwest monsoon is strong, causing residents in the southern areas of the city such as Da Phuoc in Binh Chanh District and Phu My Hung area in District 7 to endure the foul odour from the landfill.
Dozens of rubbish trucks are operated at the dumping site every day.
Households some 500 metres from the site suffer from the bad smell and contaminated water source.
Do Van Truyen, 49, from Da Phuoc Commune, said that his family have to spend VND200,000 buying clean water per month. He has also faced skin diseases when using the well water. Despite undergoing multiple filtration processes, Truyen added that the well water still smells muddy.
Whenever there is heavy rain households have to tightly close their doors to avoid the smell from the landfill.
Some households have suspended their shrimp breeding near the dumping site due to the polluted water source.
Local people want the city’s authorities to take urgent measures to deal with the foul smell from the site.
