Que Phong: Construction of the waste treatment facility needs to be expedited.

(Baonghean) - In recent years, the amount of household waste in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, has been increasing; meanwhile, the current waste collection site is makeshift and gradually becoming overloaded, causing environmental pollution. Therefore, the district is urging the acceleration of the construction and operation of a waste treatment facility that meets the required standards.

Currently, Kim Son Town (Que Phong District) has over 3,500 residents and 39 agencies located within its boundaries. Therefore, the amount of household and commercial waste is relatively large. Facing the pressure of waste collection and treatment, the town established the Kim Son Agricultural and Environmental Sanitation Service Cooperative. The cooperative has placed 123 waste bins throughout the town and organizes weekly collection, with a volume of approximately 250 m³/month. All of this waste is collected at the town's temporary landfill in Block 2, covering an area of ​​about 1,000 m².

At this temporary landfill, a strong stench permeates the air, and garbage is piled up haphazardly. Due to the lack of proper infrastructure, wastewater overflows, causing environmental pollution. Speaking with us, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vinh, Chairman of the Kim Son Agricultural Service and Environmental Sanitation Cooperative, said: “The cooperative has hired people to dry and burn the garbage in sunny weather and sprayed disinfectants to kill flies and gnats when it rains. However, because the treatment is only rudimentary, the landfill still affects the surrounding environment, especially during seasonal changes and hot weather… In addition, due to long-term use, the amount of waste is increasing, and this open-air landfill is gradually becoming overloaded. Without a new landfill, in just a short time, there is a risk that garbage will spill onto people's agricultural land.”

Construction on the waste treatment plant project in Que Phong district has been stalled for a year now.

In light of this situation, the town's residents have made numerous requests for the construction of a new landfill to collect and process waste according to proper standards, ensuring environmental hygiene; and also for the relocation and processing of waste at the temporary landfill, as it is located right next to the town's public cemetery. Mr. Hoang Trung Cuong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Kim Son Town, said: “Currently, the construction of the Que Phong District waste treatment facility has begun. This is welcome news because it not only definitively addresses existing environmental sanitation issues in the short term but also solves long-term concerns. According to the expansion plan, the area of ​​Kim Son Town will be three times larger than it is now, and consequently, the population will increase many times over. We only hope that the project will be completed and put into operation quickly.”

In early 2013, the Que Phong District Waste Treatment Plant project commenced construction in Bon village, Tien Phong commune, with a total investment of nearly 55.5 billion VND. The landfill will have four burial cells with a total area of ​​nearly 20,000 m2, and a burial capacity of nearly 50,000 tons by 2024. In addition, the project includes a wastewater collection and treatment system, exhaust gas and rainwater drainage systems, roads, and many other facilities for management and support. Upon completion, this will be a modern waste treatment facility, effectively meeting the waste collection and treatment needs of the rapidly developing Kim Son town and surrounding communes.

However, when we visited the construction site in September 2015, it was completely deserted. Only two relatively complete landfill pits were visible, while the rest were unfinished. In a discussion with Ms. Vi Thi Duyen, Director of the Investment and Construction Project Management Board of Que Phong District, regarding the "stagnation" of the project, we learned that the reason was due to land clearance issues. Specifically, out of nearly 46,000 square meters of land to be acquired for Phase 1 (including land leveling, internal road and dike construction, and landfill pits, with a total estimated investment of over 35.8 billion VND), 10 households were affected, with a total compensation cost of over 1.9 billion VND. However, to date, the investor has only paid approximately 703 million VND; the remaining 1.2 billion VND has yet to be allocated. Meanwhile, the remaining four affected households are demanding full compensation payment before handing over the entire site to the investor. Therefore, all construction activities have been halted for nearly a year. The total construction volume for package 1 has only reached 30%, causing delays in the overall project progress.

Ms. Duyen added: “Currently, the total funding allocated to the project is only 7 billion VND. In particular, the funds for land clearance have not yet been allocated. Even the more than 700 million VND already paid to residents for land clearance had to be borrowed from the contractor. In the near future, we plan to borrow the remaining land clearance funds from the contractor for construction. The contractor has also committed to self-funding the project upfront. However, to ensure the project's stable implementation, the project management board requests that relevant authorities and departments provide sufficient funding to meet the needs, contributing to accelerating construction progress, bringing the project into operation sooner, and addressing the pressing environmental issues caused by waste in the area.”

Nhat Le