Resolving difficulties in building a centralized landfill in Phu Thu ward

The new domestic solid waste landfill in Phu Thu ward had to stop after some items had been implemented.

Suspend construction of new landfill

Phu Thu ward's centralized landfill was reclaimed in 2020 to serve the site clearance for the project of a commercial service residential area north of Phu Thu town, phase 1.

To solve the waste problem, Kinh Mon town has decided to invest in the solid waste landfill project of Phu Thu ward to meet the need to bury common solid waste generated from residential areas and industrial clusters in the ward. The new domestic waste landfill of Phu Thu ward is nearly 1 hectare wide in the Bat Trai field area, residential area No. 6. In the above area, there are about 103 m2 of land for construction, about 8,568 m2 of land for internal traffic and yards, the rest is green land. In April 2021, Kinh Mon town People's Committee approved the detailed planning project of this construction project, scale 1/500 and approved the technical economic report at the end of 2021. On December 21, 2021, Kinh Mon town People's Committee approved the plan to select a contractor to implement the project.

Phu Thu Ward People's Committee has implemented site clearance for the project according to regulations. Households with land within the landfill agreed and signed the compensation and support plan; site clearance and construction of part of the surrounding wall and road to the landfill have been completed. However, during the implementation of this project, there were still problems leading to the suspension of the project. Up to now, the entire land area for the landfill has not been decided by the province to change the purpose of use or allocate land for implementation. In mid-2022, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment chaired and coordinated the review of all issues related to the construction of this landfill. Thereby, it was determined that this domestic waste landfill has not ensured the environmental safety distance according to national technical regulations on construction planning. The project is not included in the adjustment of the general planning of Kinh Mon town until 2040 approved by the Provincial People's Committee. Therefore, in July 2022, the Provincial People's Committee issued an official dispatch directing and requesting the Kinh Mon Town People's Committee to stop building a domestic solid waste landfill in Phu Thu ward.

Many difficulties

While there is no centralized waste collection site that meets regulations, Phu Thu ward temporarily collects waste in the open air at the closed mineral exploitation area.

The old landfill has been reclaimed, while the new landfill has not yet been built, leading to a situation of garbage congestion. Phu Thu Ward does not have a location or place to collect garbage that ensures environmental safety and hygiene according to regulations, causing public outrage.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, an officer of the land and environment department of the People's Committee of Phu Thu Ward, the ward generates an average of 5 tons of solid waste every day. In the past, the ward's waste was mainly temporarily collected, collected in the ground and at the mineral exploitation area of ​​the enterprise. Currently, the mine has been closed and handed over to the locality for management. "The open-air collection of waste, which does not comply with regulations, is at risk of causing environmental pollution. The increasing amount of waste will soon lead to overload. The current collection is only a temporary solution but the ward has no other suitable location," said Mr. Tung.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Kinh Mon town, after the landfill was reclaimed, Phu Thu ward currently does not have a centralized landfill. The town has surveyed and reviewed the locations in Phu Thu ward, showing that apart from the current landfill planning location, there is no other suitable location in Phu Thu ward. Kinh Mon town People's Committee requests relevant authorities and the Provincial People's Committee to consider allowing the change of land use purpose, land allocation to continue implementing the project, contributing to environmental protection in the locality.

The problems in building a new landfill and the problem of collecting and assembling waste in Phu Thu ward are very urgent and need to be promptly considered and resolved to ensure environmental hygiene and avoid negative impacts on public opinion. In the immediate future, the locality needs to pay attention to solutions for classifying and treating solid waste at the source according to the project "Solid waste treatment in the province in the period of 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030" of the province to reduce the amount of waste generated that needs to be collected and treated.

PHAN KIEN