Garbage piles up on Hanoi streets as protestors block road to dump

Garbage is uncollected and piling up in many of Hanoi’s urban districts. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

The protest around the Soc Son Waste Treatment Complex in the northern Soc Son District has prevented garbage trucks from entering the place, causing rubbish to remain uncollected and pile up in many districts, according to an announcement by authorities Sunday.

As of Sunday night piles of garbage could be seen along many streets in Thanh Xuan, Nam Tu Liem, Ba Dinh, and Long Bien districts.

The protest began last Thursday when a group of 40 residents from Nam Son Commune gathered to block trucks from entering the waste treatment complex, saying that Hanoi and Soc Son authorities had been slow to compensate those bearing environmental impacts from the complex, who live close to it and have not been relocated.

Carts full of trash stand across high-rise buildings on Phung Hung Street in Ha Dong District. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Since then Soc Son authorities have held three rounds of talks with the protesters, the latest on Sunday attended by over 80 households, but failed to resolve the issue.

At the talks Sunday the protesters demanded to know regarding when the process of compensating and supporting households affected by the complex would be completed.

They also voiced opposition to the authorities' plan to resettle them in Hong Ky Commune, which is three kilometers from the dump. They demanded resettlement areas farther away and that each household should receive at least 240 square meters (287 square yards).

The district's leaders pledged to complete compensation payment and assistance with site clearance in the second quarter of the year.

On Sunday evening city authorities ordered an immediate survey of the number of households within 500 meters of the Soc Son Waste Treatment Complex and come up with compensation, support and resettlement plans before March 30.

Piles of garbage could be seen on many streets in Thanh Xuan, Nam Tu Liem, Ba Dinh and Long Bien districts, waiting to be removed. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

The Soc Son Waste Treatment Complex is the largest in Hanoi, capable of processing 6,000 tons of garbage per day.

Local residents have blocked garbage trucks from entering the complex several times in the past few years over environmental concerns.