According to the Hanoi Urban Environment Company, the Nam Son Landfill in Soc Son District has closed since November 1 as all five tailings ponds containing wastewater from buried rubbish at the landfill were already full. "The landfill has neared its full capacity and heavy rains over the last week have added to the problem," the company said.
The incident has led to larger piles of rubbish being left at many streets and residential areas in the city centre.
Dozens of rubbish-filled carts inundated on Hoang Quoc Viet Street in Cau Giay District on the afternoon of November 3.
Big rubbish piles have blocked some sections of Quan Hoa Street in Cau Giay District. A motorbike taxi driver, Trinh Dinh Tien, said that the situation had lasted for two days. "Our life has been greatly affected by the bad smell and the effect on traffic," he said.
A woman drives a motorbike beside high rubbish piles along Duong Quang Ham Street in Cau Giay District.
The same scene was seen on Hoang Van Thai Street in Thanh Xuan District.
Le Thi Hien, the owner of a cafe in Duong Quang Ham Street said that her shop had seen a sharp fall in the number of customers over the last three days due to the huge nearby piles of bad-smelling rubbish. She hoped that the situation would be dealt with soon.
Environmental workers have had to use lime powder to deodorise the waste.
Statistics by the Hanoi Construction Department showed that some 4,000 tonnes of waste have been sent for burial at Nam Son Landfill everyday. Meanwhile, the Xuan Son Landfill is receiving over 1,000 tonnes of waste which is buried and burned.
Meanwhile, the Soc Son Waste-to-Energy Plant in Soc Son District is also dealing with 1,005 tonnes of waste a day.
