Heavy lorries carrying stones have been driving around the clock and making a terrible and dusty environment in Phú Mãn Commune, in Hà Nội’s Quốc Oai District.– Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn

HÀ NỘI – Heavy lorries carrying stones have been driving around the clock and making a terrible and dusty environment in Phú Mãn Commune, in Hà Nội’s Quốc Oai District.

Over recent years hundreds of households in the commune, 30km from Hà Nội’s centre, have suffered from serious pollution, but local authorities have not helped them.

Stone exploitation at local mines was to blame according to local residents; some enterprises have been licensed to exploit stone since 2007.

Before 2007, the environment of the six villages in Phú Mãn Commune was healthy, local residents said. Things started to get worse when stone mining began.

Local people’s daily activities were affected as were schools and health centres by the loud lorries.

The 2.7 km main road linking the commune centre with the villages was seriously damaged, causing traffic jams.

Early last year, Quốc Oai District authorities invested money from the local budget to upgrade the road.       

Local residents complained to the district People’s Committee that owners of stone-trucks didn’t traffic laws.

A 60-year-old local man, Đinh Công Chìu, said “Every day, hundreds of 40-50 tonne- lorries carrying stone from mines drive at high-speeds on the inter-commune road to the district centre.”

“When a lorry goes through, the whole road is covered by white dust.”

Local people have to keep their doors closed all day and even spread canvases to prevent dust.

Although stone mining enterprises watered the road every day, the high volume of lorries meant dust soon covered the road again.

Deputy Chairman of Phú Mãn Commune People’s Committee, Bùi Chí Bền said local authorities recognised how bad the situation was for local residents.

But, commune authorities have no administrative method to solve the problem.

Every year, commune authorities signed documents with enterprises, asking them not to use heavy vehicles, to water the road regularly and must spend money to repair it if was damaged.

Đinh Trần Trung Hiếu, deputy chief of the district’s transport police, said the nine-officer strong police force had to patrol 40km of road so they couldn’t watch Phú Mãn every day.

Lorry drivers intentionally avoided transport police and whenever police were absent overloaded lorries without canvas drove bumper-to-bumper on the dusty road.

Hiếu said commune authorities and the district’s road management board must share the resp to solve violations.

A VNĐ17 billion (US$763,300) project funded from the district budget to upgrade the Phú Mãn Commune road is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.         

Đỗ Quang Huy, an official from the project said the route would help local people travel more conveniently but the noise and dust was still a concern. “If local authorities and relevant offices don’t solve the violation, the new road will be damaged soon,” he said.-- VNS