Cam Ly dumping site will be closed.

Da Lat People's Committee will dig 13ha up to bury the rubbish and cover the site with 50cm-thick soil to plant grass. They will also put up a 1,450m fence to block the rubbish and install a landfill leachate treatment plant with a capacity to deal with 50 cubic metres a day.

Cam Ly dumping site is only 5 km from Da Lat and has been in operation for 50 years. It was constantly overloaded and has caused severe pollution to the surrounding environment. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has listed Cam Ly as one of the most polluted sites and needs to be closed quickly.

Cam Ly dumping site was closed once in 2015. Solid waste was transferred to the waste treatment plant in Xuan Truong Commune which is 25 km away from Da Lat. However, after a while, the plant failed to deal with such a huge amount of rubbish so it was returned to Cam Ly dumping site.

Each day, about 200 tonnes of rubbish is brought to the site. Because of overloading, the piles of rubbish collapse and waste kept rolling into Cam Ly Stream. A fire also broke out there and the smoke and foul smell wafted through the city centre. It took days to put the fire under control.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said they must isolate the site and apply strict management measures to ensure better living conditions for the nearby residents.

The plan to close Cam Ly dumping site will cost an estimated VND48bn (USD2m). 

Tienphong/dtinews 

Dump site fire chokes Dalat

Many areas in the Central Highlands city of Dalat are being polluted by a fire at a local rubbish dump site.