Many people in Ha Giang Province have complained about the abject lack of waste treatment facilities after tonnes of rubbish was dumped into a local stream.

Rubbish pulled into the stream

On July 20, the public was enraged after a video clip showed how tonnes of rubbish were dumped into Quang Stream in Vinh Quang Village, Tan Quang Commune, was posted on the internet.

It is discovered that a company signed a contract with Tan Quang Commune to collect the rubbish. The rubbish dump they were supposed to use was already full. It's unclear whether the company decided to pull the rubbish into the stream or not.  

The residents in Tan Quang Commune have filed complained about the dumping site for years to no avail and finally decided to send a letter to Ha Giang Province Party Secretary Trieu Tai Vinh.

On July 23, an excavator was sent to collect and bury the rubbish that is still on the bank of the stream. But in reality, the rubbish was re-dumped into the old small pit without any disinfectant. There are worries that the rains will wash away the rubbish and pollute the environment. The dumping pit is only 50 metres away from the Lo River.

Quang said they were planning to build a new landfill 3km away from Vinh Quang Village. 

Pham Khac Hoang, vice chairman of Tan Quang Commune said there had been no directive to dump rubbish into the stream. "Maybe the rubbish dump is full so the locals tried to level it or water level rose and flooded the site after heavy rains in the last few days," he said.

The communal chairman Pham Hong Quang said the dumping site by the stream had existed for 17 years. "This is the landfill for domestic waste. We are investigating who is raking the rubbish into the stream," he said.

Dtinews