The area where the aloe vera peels are discarded. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thành

NINH THUẬN — Discarded aloe vera peels are causing pollution in Mỹ Sơn Commune of the southern Ninh Thuận Province, according to residents in the area. 

The peels are waste from the preliminary processing procedures of a local business. 

People are demanding that local authorities take action to investigate the facility’s operation and waste treatment amid rising health concerns.

According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporters, a landfill of aloe vera peels 500 metres away from the Tân Mỹ Canal gives off a strong and unpleasant odour. 

Wastewater from the decomposing pile is also draining into the nearby area next to the stream. 

Local resident Vầy Phúc Lộc said that dozens of trucks have been dumping the aloe vera peels in this area every day for quite some time. 

“The stench is even worse when the sun comes out. People here are very upset and are calling for action from the local authorities,” said Lộc.

Bo Say, another resident, said that the waste trucks operate day and night, and the smell from the landfill is increasingly affecting people’s health and daily life. 

The 13-hectare area where the aloe vera peels are discarded is under the management of Sun and Wind JSC.

Speaking to VNA reporters, the company’s deputy director Hoàng Xuân Hậu said that the peels were delivered from a processing facility of Viet Farm JSC and are being used for soil improvement. Both companies are part of the GC Food Group. 

Depending on factory productivity, Sun and Wind JSC receives from 10 to 20 tonnes of aloe vera peels each day, which it said will be mixed with the soil to build humus.

The company has asked permission from Mỹ Sơn Commune authorities for soil treatment, Hậu said. 

Lê Văn Hà, vice chairman of Mỹ Sơn People’s Committee, said the commune has taken the local people’s reports into account and will conduct a field visit to the area. 

If an environmental violation is confirmed, authorities will handle the case according to regulations, he said. — VNS