Uncaring Vietnamese create garbage crisis

Irregular collections and a failure to prevent dumping means many coastal and rural areas of Vietnam are disappearing under mountains of waste.

As a result, embankments, canals and fishing ports have become eyesores and even health hazards.

Nowhere is it worse than in the south-central Province of Ninh Thuận.

Uncovered garbage trucks line the road leading to Hoà Thạnh Village where various types of household waste, plastic bags, bottles, food and other discarded items pile up high, sometimes picked up by the wind and scattered across the road, emitting a foul odour.

Local resident Mai Duy Luân said people would throw their garbage in the general direction of the trucks on their way to work, often missing them completely and hardly ever bothering to stop and put it in the proper place.

“With the waste left unattended and not transported for disposal, the area has become a filthy, fetid place that anyone passing by would only want to hurry up to get away as soon as they could,” Mr Luân said.

Some stretches of sea embankment hundreds of metres in length in Phú Thọ Village are choked by overflowing piles of household waste, used mattresses, clothing, discarded fishing nets and the carcasses of dead animals.

The putrid smell attracts flies, and the pollution is spreading.

Commuter Tằng Tạm said he passes this embankment daily and some people lacked environmental awareness and just threw garbage onto it.

“Previously, when there were no wave-breaking structures, the waves would carry the waste out to sea, but now with the waste accumulating, the environment is deteriorating,” Mr Tam said.

“During the rainy season, this area becomes particularly foul-smelling.”

In other coastal areas waste has become a commonplace presence on many roads, beaches and harbour embankments.

Head of Đông Hải Fishing Port, Nguyễn Phạm Lưu Hiển said collection efforts from Local Authorities and environmental service companies could only do so much when people just kept on littering thoughtlessly.

“We continuously broadcast messages over the public address system telling ship owners, businesses and residents operating in the port area to collect and dispose of waste at designated locations after unloading their products,” Mr Hiển said.

“When environmental violations are detected, the port enforces penalties in accordance with regulations.”

He said violators were fined the equivalent of at least $40, but it did not seem to make much difference.

Chair of the People's Committee of Đông Hải Ward, Đặng Phú Khánh said Local Authorities would request more frequent waste collection in an effort to combat the problem.

He urged members of the public to be more vigilant in reporting incidents of improper waste disposal so that the People's Committee could handle cases in line with the laws.

“The high pace of urbanisation, coupled with increased production and tourism activities, has been particularly straining on the environment in many rural and coastal areas,” Mr Khánh said.

“We call for robust campaigns of waste collection and clean-ups on the beaches and at residential areas with the involvement of the public.”