The people in Hai Duong Province's Cam Giang District are expressing concerns over pollution problems after local authorities approved a waste-to-electricity project in the area.

Cam Giang waste-to-electricity plant model

The waste-to-electricity plant in Luong Dien Commune is a joint venture between Chinese United Expert Investments Ltd and Au Viet Resource and Environment JSC at a total investment of USD45m in an area of 10 hectares. It is designed to have the capacity to deal with 500 tonnes of rubbish each day and produce 9-10 megawatts.

The construction will be divided into two phases with the first phase is expected to be completed in 2020 and has the capacity to deal with 250 tonnes per day.

Both the Hai Duong People's Committee and People's Council have approved of the project and the agricultural land conversion plan. However, many people living near the project said that the plant was too close to the residential area, schools and religious buildings.

Nguyen Manh Dan from Luong Dien Commune said, "We worry that the water source and hundreds of hectares of rice we still have there will be contaminated."

"We can't monitor the plant. What will we do if we want to check the factory when our lands are polluted but are blocked by the guards?" said another local, Vu Xuan Nam.

Moreover, .Hoang Duong Tung, former head of the Vietnam Environment Administration, said for such project, the investor must make a report on the environmental impact and get approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The investor must also gather opinions from the authorities and the local people. However, the environmental impact report for the Cam Giang waste-to-electricity plant hasn't been completed.

Trinh Ngoc Thanh, chairman of Cam Giang District People's Committee, said the distance was fine and that the factory wouldn't cause pollution. "We visited another similar plant overseas," he said.

When being asked about the environmental impact report, Thanh said that the investors were completing the report and ground clearance at the same time. They will only be allowed to start the construction after submitting the report.

Dtinews