Waste in the sea overflows onto the beaches in the southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu. Photo laodong.vn

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU — Hundreds of tonnes of waste in the sea have overflowed onto beaches in the southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, causing difficulties for tourists and local residents when swimming, Lao Động (Labour) newspaper reported. 

According to reports, since Thursday afternoon, a large amount of ocean waste, primarily seaweed, has been carried ashore by the tides onto several beaches in the area. Along with natural debris, there is also a significant amount of household waste such as bottles, helmets, old foam and even damaged mattresses.

Trần Văn Dũng, a resident of Ward 4, said that it was not uncommon to see a large amount of waste washing up on the beach, but this time the quantity was overwhelming. Combined with the foul smell caused by decomposing waste, many people were hesitant to go into the water.

"Many people have to use their hands or a rake to push the garbage aside before entering the water. When they come out of the sea, they also find themselves covered in a lot of debris, which is quite unpleasant," Dũng said.

Vũng Tàu Urban Environment and Infrastructure Services Joint Stock Company (VESCO) reported that since around May 25th, hundreds of tons of waste, mainly seaweed, had been collected by the company on the beaches, primarily in the Bãi Trước area. However, the amount of waste was too significant to be quickly cleaned up. 

"Due to the excessive amount of waste, we are planning to mobilise a series of vehicles and workers on June 16th to organise the collection and cleaning of the beaches," a representative from VESCO said.

Vũ Hồng Thuận, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Vũng Tàu City, said that the annual occurrence of seaweed and waste drifting onto the beaches during the rainy season had been a recurring issue for many years.

"The local government has developed a plan to collect waste from the sea, preventing it from drifting onto the beaches and affecting the local residents and tourists," Thuận said. 

"The plan has been submitted to the provincial People's Committee for consideration and has been approved in principle. The relevant agencies are working to finalise the plan and implement it to mitigate the impact of ocean waste on the beaches in the area." — VNS