Suffering because of the 'dump trucks' running all day on the Ta Lam dike.
Dozens of large trucks line up day and night on the Ta Lam dike, disrupting the lives of the island's residents. The road is dusty in sunny weather and muddy in rainy weather; the noise of horns and scattered dirt create traffic hazards and seriously affect the lives of hundreds of households.
The Ta Lam dike road, a vital transportation artery passing through the communes of Lam Thanh, Hung Nguyen Nam, Kim Lien, and Van An (formerly part of Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan districts), has recently become a nightmare for residents. Along this dike, there are numerous large and small sand depots, and every day a large number of trucks arrive to collect sand, causing traffic congestion on the dike to be constantly overloaded. Every day, dozens of large trucks ("howo" trucks) rumble along, carrying soil, sand, and other materials, day and night.
On sunny days, thick clouds of dust billow up with each convoy of vehicles, forcing pedestrians to cover their faces, sometimes even making it impossible to see ahead. The roofs and yards of houses along the road are constantly covered in a thick layer of dust. Not only is it dusty, but many sections of the road surface are cracked and severely degraded due to the constant passage of overloaded vehicles, creating a rattling sound whenever large convoys pass. And when it rains, the entire road becomes a "mudflat," the surface slippery and posing a significant risk of traffic accidents.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuan from Thuong Nam hamlet, Kim Lien commune, shared: "The trucks run day and night, the horns and engine noise keep us awake. It's even more worrying with young children at home. Dust covers the house, and on many days we have to sweep up piles of sand dumped by the passing trucks."
Many other residents expressed their frustration, stating that trucks carrying wet sand were causing water to spill onto the road, creating muddy sections that were particularly dangerous during school dismissal times. The section passing through Van An commune has many schools, and students face dust, mud, and large trucks driving close by every day. Some residents complained that during peak hours, trucks from the sand depots lined up in long convoys, occupying almost the entire road, forcing motorcyclists to dangerously hug the edge of the embankment.
Mr. Hoang Dinh Thuan, a resident living near the Ta Lam dike in Kim Lien commune, said that recently there have been several traffic accidents on this stretch of road due to slippery surfaces caused by scattered sand and obscured visibility due to dust. Although there have been no casualties, these incidents have caused great concern among the residents.
Regarding these complaints, Mr. Tran Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the Kim Lien Commune People's Committee, stated: "Currently, there are four sand quarries operating regularly in Kim Lien commune. At this time, the weather is dry, and the volume of transport vehicles passing through the dike is high, making dust pollution unavoidable. The commune has worked with the businesses in the area, requesting them to increase watering to reduce dust and minimize the impact on people's lives. At the same time, we have assigned the commune police to coordinate inspections, remind and handle cases of vehicles carrying materials without proper covering, speeding, or spilling sand and soil onto the road."
Given the above situation, residents of the communes along the Ta Lam dike are requesting that the authorities promptly investigate and strictly penalize vehicles transporting materials without proper covering, exceeding speed limits, or spilling soil and sand, causing environmental pollution.
The people also hope that the dike management unit will require transportation companies to fully fulfill their responsibilities in watering the road and repairing deteriorated sections of the road surface to ensure the safety of people and vehicles in transit.
