Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai on September 24 asked local authorities to quickly deal with the rubbish-filled streets in Son Tay Town after local people blocked the dumping site over a compensation dispute.    

Xuan Son is the second biggest dumping site in Hanoi. It has been in operation for 11 years and is receiving rubbish from 10 districts and communes. It can deal with 1,200 to 1,300 tonnes of rubbish a day.

Due to a dispute over ground clearance compensation rate after Xuan Son dumping site was expanded, several local people have recently blocked the entrance to the site. As a result, rubbish from other places have nowhere to go and is piling up on the streets, disturbing the residents.

"This is not the first time we’ve lived with rubbish on the streets. People living near Xuan Son dumping site blocked the entrance last year too but the authorities are still unable to deal with it completely," said Dinh Hoang Hung, a local in Son Tay Town.

Son Tay Urban and Environmental Engineering JSC are struggling to find a new dumping site. They co-operated with the authorities of Ba Vi District and Son Tay Commune to find temporary dumping locations but can't deal with the huge amount of daily rubbish.

Le Van Duc, head of Hanoi Department of Construction, said about 146 tonnes of rubbish was generated a day in Son Tay Town alone. Since the entrance to Xuan Son dumping site was blocked, about 3,000 tonnes of rubbish is lying idle on the streets. The department will work with related parties to work out a solution. In the long run, Hanoi will replace its rubbish burial site with waste-to-energy technology. 

Chairman of Son Tay Town Dang Vu Nhat Thang said they were persuading the locals to stop blocking Xuan Son dumping site.

Hanoi Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung asked the localities to completely deal with the problem by October 15. Chung said the locality authorities haven't been aggressive and determined enough in a statement made on September 12.

Meanwhile, Hoang Thuy Hang, a member of the city people's council said the locality authorities were waiting for a solution from the city authorities. Hang also said even though Hanoi generated 6,000 tonnes of rubbish a day, its ability to handle such rubbish was lacking.

 Rubbish dumped on a street in Son Tay Town.

Rubbish found on Highway No.32 on September 22. Photo by Vietnamnet

Rubbish seen piling up at the gate of the Quang Trung Primary School in Son Tay Town on September 22. Photo by Vietnamnet.

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