Urban streets in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi are flooded with about 10,000 tons of household waste, after 3 days people in the suburban district of Soc Son block garbage trucks from entering the Nam Son landfill, many newspapers including Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre, Lao Dong, and VNExpress reported on October 26.
This is the second time in 2020 and the 15th time in nearly 20 years that Nam Son landfill is in operation, local people block garbage trucks, the newspapers said.
According to local media reports, people within a few hundred meters of the landfill – having been and suffering badly for many years – should have received support and compensation to relocate, but have yet to received as he government has still handled it very slowly.
One of the people blocking the garbage truck, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, 63 years old, was quoted by Thanh Nien saying that until now, people around the landfill “only wish to move away but the local authorities have not yet resolved to give it away.” Mr. Tuan is from Dong Ha village, Nam Son commune.
On the evening of October 25, Hanoi Party Secretary Vuong Dinh Hue met with relevant departments and agencies on the case, the local press said.
Mr. Hue was quoted by Tuoi Tre as saying that the city government and related departments and branches have not fulfilled their responsibilities to the people of Nam Son without timely and effective settlement of their proposals.
On the issue of site clearance and compensation, according to the reports, the meeting of Mr. Hue has not come to a concrete solution, but he asked his subordinates to “review carefully. In order to answer for the people in the spirit of solving as much as possible for the benefit of the people within the framework of the laws and regulations of the city, applying what is most beneficial to the people, then apply.”
Ms. Nguy Thi Khanh, director of the Green Development Innovation Center (GreenID), told VOA that the occasional rubbish in Hanoi is rooted in increasing demand for residents while management practices are not suitable.
According to VOA research, nowadays, Hanoi generates about 6,500 tons of domestic waste every day. The Nam Son waste treatment complex in Soc Son district handles about 5,000-5,300 tons/day and night, the Xuan Son solid waste treatment complex in Son Tay town can handle about 1,200-1,300 tons/day.
A report of the Nhan Dan newspaper in August 2020 pointed out that waste treatment technology by landfill easily pollutes the environment, affects the lives of people around the treatment areas, as well as the two treatment areas are now overloaded, making the fate of Hanoi’s domestic waste always in a precarious state.
“Once the way to the garbage disposal area is blocked, in the inner city of Hanoi, there will be spontaneous landfills piled up, affecting the daily life of millions of people as well as urban beauty,” Nhan Dan newspaper issued warnings at that time.
But the newspaper also said that in the near future, Hanoi will get rid of the scene of only treating garbage by landfill, because a power plant is under construction in Soc Son district.
Nhan Dan newspaper forecasts that from 2021, if the Soc Son waste power plant project is on schedule, out of about 7,000 tons of domestic waste in Hanoi, up to 4,000 tons of waste will be treated by incineration technology to produce electricity.
The remaining amount of waste, about 3,000 tons, will continue to be treated with sanitary landfill technology in the two areas of Nam Son and Xuan Son, until there are waste disposal projects using new technology, Nhan Dan newspaper said.
Along with the handling measures, Ms. Nguy Thi Khanh emphasized to VOA that the role of people is also very important.
“For the people, we have to limit the generation of waste. There are many ways: sorting at source, reusing, recycling, not burning in a residential area. If we keep burying garbage and people around the landfill keep protesting, we will never have an answer,” Ms. Khanh said.
On his personal Facebook, Professor Mac Van Trang has a comment titled Hanoi trash story with the content as follows:
Hanoi is flooded with trash!
The story of people living in Hanoi for a long time, and then if they want to clean, bring garbage to the countryside to bury, has caused many frustrations for rural people. Put yourself in the situation near the landfill to see if you can withstand the smell of filth and how many consequences? Yet, every time people react and prevent trash, they will be seen as “causing trouble!” The whole political system “tried to propagate and mobilize” once the police had to intervene … When the landfill was blocked by the people, the garbage stagnated causing pollution in the city, the government blamed the people for obstruction, but no official in charge of this industry is disciplined. Hundreds of crimes are blamed on the heads of the people!
But according to journalist Nhu Phong:
“Why does Hanoi not have a large-capacity waste treatment plant with modern technology such as Europe, Korea, and Japan? These factories should turn organic waste into compost while burning inorganic waste is burn to run generators”
– Why do many waste treatment corporations from Korea, Japan, the Netherlands … have brought projects, each questioned as a waste treatment plant, but despite the key leaders of HN for about 10 years or more agreeing but why didn’t any projects succeed?
– Please the Secretary of the Party Committee to investigate and clarify the role of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Planning and Investment, and a number of other departments and agencies in that they have caused difficulties for companies to do their business.” The most unsuccessful business is the Department of Planning and Investment. There is a project to build a waste treatment plant that has been “lying” with Hanoi for nearly 10 years, but she was “ashore in the field” … Even the Ambassador of the Netherlands has to meet and send an official dispatch … had to begged all kinds of things, but the Departments kept dragging and pushing each other …
– Can the Secretary of the City Party Committee direct the police force to investigate and clarify the tricks of “eating junk” of the urban sanitation companies?”
So it is clear!
In 2017, I had an article why Vietnamese officials visit so many civilized countries, but Hanoi and other cities do not do garbage treatment plants like in Vienna of Austria?
Remember in June 2017, I visited Vienna City, my friend there took me out, when he got close to the city center, he pointed to a massive project, strange architecture, impressive colors, said: Know what that impressive building is? I saw a tall column, on top of a large sparkling “gilded” round, reminiscent of the television tower in Berlin, immediately said:
– Probably the TV station of the city.
– No! The TV station is located on the other side of the Danube River, far from the city to help with the pollution of the waves, but the TV waves are far from being caught, there is no need to stay in the city center.
– That looks impressive colors, maybe an art gallery?
– Not! That is the city’s garbage treatment plant.
– Oh! Is the waste treatment plant as beautiful as a cultural or artistic work? Why put a waste treatment plant in the middle of the city?
– The factory is located in the center for the most convenient garbage from the whole city.
I was stunned, surprised, asked him to bring him closer to the place to see stars. Scattered around the fence were green trees. Seeing large cars, carrying trash chasing after each other under the factory tunnel …
I stretched my nose, “inhaled” but did not smell anything of the garbage … No smell, no smoke! Around the factory, there are some “slogans,” and the friend explained: “You should learn immediately how to remove garbage from home,” Think about new energy,” and “New energy source from here!” … He said, this waste treatment plant is also a project that people in the city are very proud of; is the tourist attraction and especially the place for students, students to learn from reality …
Japan and some places have invited this architect to build them these waste treatment plants.
I see online, it is true that Japan has invited the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser to Japan to build a larger Austrian factory in Osaka City, hoping it will become a symbol of a great combination between environment, technology and art. And in 2001, the Maishima waste treatment plant was built in Osaka City. This plant processes nearly 900 tons of waste a day.
The waste treatment plant is like a unique cultural building, so it attracts a lot of people who want to be “visited by the market” so it becomes a tourist attraction not only for locals but also for tourists. The machine must welcome more than 12,000 visitors each year …
State officials! Why do you go abroad all year round, how much does it cost to pay in taxes of the people without learning something smart to benefit the people?
Why do you only dream of turning the country into a tiger, a dragon, to 2035, 2045 into this and that, but the rotten trash keeps pushing each other without opening your eyes to learn how civilized countries have handled?” Prof. Trang stated his opinion.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
