Over 12.7ha of remediated land at the Da Nang International Airport, part of a major Agent Orange clean-up project, will be returned to the Ministry of Transport under an agreement signed on Wednesday.

A 12.7ha area of dioxin contaminated land has been returned to the Transport Ministry after cleaning the soil of dioxin. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

The agreement was signed by representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Air Defence-Air Force Command (ADAFC) and the US Agency of International Development (USAID).

This is the 2^nd portion of land to be turned over for new development as part of expansion of the Da Nang International Airport, while USAID and the Ministry of National Defence continue their cooperation to clean up dioxin contaminated soil and sediment at the site of the former US Da Nang Air Base.

“The handover of land for the 2^nd phase of the project commencing marked close cooperation between Viet Nam’s defence ministry and USAID for several years in cleaning up dioxin contamination at the airport,” said Lt. General Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff under the Viet Nam People’s Army,.

“Today’s event also marks significant efforts made by Viet Nam and the US towards addressing the consequences of war.  The project, which completed its 1^st phase in May, had handed over a 5.97ha plot for building runways and parking lots at the airport in preparation for the 2017 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang in November,” he said.

He said the project plans to return another 16ha in the first quarter of next year for the airport expansion project.

Lt. General Minh said the Defence Ministry and USAID will continue their cooperation in cleaning up dioxin contamination on 51ha at the Bien Hoa Airport in Dong Nai Province.

He said Viet Nam and the US have also agreed to boost cooperation in landmine and bomb clearing projects as well as chemical contamination in other regions in Viet Nam.

Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Air Defence-Air Force Command (ADAFC) and the US Agency of International Development (USAID) join a land handover ceremony at the Da Nang International Aiport on Wednesday. VNS Photo Cong Thanh

According to the Defence Ministry, nearly 6 million hectares have ,thus, to date been identified as being contaminated with dioxin or landmines and other unexploded ordnances (UXOs).

The ministry is scheduled to start the Viet Nam-Korea landmines and bombs remediation Project next month.  The project will receive US$20 million in non-refundable Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the South Korean Government.

Under this project, an area of 8,000ha will be handed over to provinces of Binh Dinh and Quang Nam in 2019.

VN-US milestone

Launched in 2012, the Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contamination at the Da Nang Airport Project is seen as an important milestone in the development of Viet Nam-US relations.  It will also deliver a cleaner, safer environment for local residents.

The project has successfully treated over 94,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil and sediment and is expected to complete set tasks early next year.

Viet Nam and the US have been working together to clean up Agent Orange contaminated sites in Viet Nam since 2007.

This project uses an In-Pile Thermal Desorption (IPTD) system into which batches of contaminated soil and sediment are placed in a container and heated to a temperature of 335 degrees Celsius, which destroys 95% of dioxins.

The soil is later removed from the container and tested for traces of contaminants before being put back.

Da Nang’s former US air base is considered a dioxin hotspot containing high levels of the toxic substance.  Other such spots include Dong Nai’s Bien Hoa City and Binh Dinh Province’s Phu Cat Airport.

The Office of National Steering Committee 33 estimates that there are about 148,000 cubic metres of dioxin-contaminated soil at Da Nang Airport; 7,500 cubic metres the Phu Cat Airport and between 450,000 or 500,000 cubic metres at the Bien Hoa Airport.

(Source: VNS)