How to address pressing environmental issues in Da Nang will be on the spotlight at the 6^th meting between representatives from the municipal People’s Council and local voters which will take place tomorrow. In particular, the handling of environmental pollution, the construction progress of a garbage treatment plant in the Khanh Son Landfill and the treatment of waste water overflowing into the sea are amongst issues of deep concern catching much attention from many voters.

An artist’ impression of a modern garbage transfer station which will be constructed on Le Thanh Nghi Street

Many voters in Lien Chieu District have wanted to be informed of the progress of environmental improvement projects in the Khanh Son Landfill. They also wondered whether the technologies used for these works donot affect people’s health and their construction completely resolve the pollution problem.

According to Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and the Environment To Van Hung, a series of projects will be carried out at the Khanh Son Landfill.

The first one is the environmental upgrading project that has been approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE). Currently, the selection of design consultants is now underway. This project features the completion of a leachate collection system, the increasing of the landfill’s capacity, and the construction of a burial area.

The second one is the implementation of the 2^nd stage of a leachate treatment plant to increase its daily treatment capacity to over 1,000m³, hereby helping to address the existing overload. The plant is scheduled to be put into operation in 2021.

The third one is the technical infrastructure development of a waste treatment plant with a daily capacity of 1,000 tonnes. Appeals for domestic and foreign investment in this project will be made in the coming time.

To date, the city administration has approved a set of common criteria for selecting technologies, and conducting bindings to select investors for the waste treatment plant. Work is expected to start on the construction in the 3^rd quarter of 2020, and it is slated to be completed in 2022.

In addition, the Department will propose the municipal administration to appeal for investment in a medical waste incinerator and a septic sludge treatment plant to complete the waste treatment complex at the landfill.

In order to alleviate leachate-caused sickening stench wafting off the burial sites and prevent rainwater from seeping into them, especially during the rainy season, the coverage of the existing garbage burial sites at the landfill with large-sized water-proof tarpaulin sheets is progressing on track. The placement of the canvas sheets over these dumping areas which cover a total area of 9ha is scheduled to be completed no later than 31 December.

The city will restore trash collection points, and identify a reasonable distance between them and residential houses to ensure environmental sanitation. In the photo is a soon-to-be-implemented garbage collection model.

Besides, the city government has given the green light to the technological upgrade of another waste treatment plant at the landfill, developed by the Viet Nam Environment Joint Stock Company, with a daily treatment capacity of 650 tonnes.

The Department is currently appraising the environmental impact assessment for this upgrade project.

Director Hung Currently also said, the Department has asked the municipal government to approve the building of garbage transfer stations fully equipped with modern treatment technologies and transporting vehicles in the coming time so as to enhance the capacity of garbage collection, and reduce the amount of time trash to be left on streets.

It is expected that 4 or 5 garbage transfer stations with a total capacity of 200 - 500 tonnes of waste will be built in the future at a total cost of over 200 billion VND. In the 2019 – 2020 period, garbage transfer stations will be built in Son Tra District’s Tho Quang Ward and on Le Thanh Nghi Street.

It is believed that a current shortage of transfer stations is the main catalyst for the rise of on-street trash collection sites. Transfer station is a building or processing site for the temporary deposition of waste.

With regard to solutions for preventing waste water from being discharged into the sea, a pilot project to separate wastewater drainage from rainwater drainage systems along sections of Pham Van Dong route towards Ngu Hanh Son District is getting underway.

Meanwhile, preparations are being made for the biddings to select the investor for a similar project along the remaining sections of Pham Van Dong towards Son Tra District’s Tho Quang Ward.

As for wastewater collection and treatment along Nguyen Tat Thanh coastal route, the Department has developed a project worth 444 billion VND.