HÀ NỘI — Some 80 per cent of construction landfills along the capital city’s riverbanks are operating without licences, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Survey results from the Hà Nội Sub-department of Irrigation, Storm and Flood Prevention reveal that 183 from over 220 landfills in the city are operating illegally, the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported. 

It means that some 1,400ha out of 1,500ha of construction landfills are being exploited illegally.

Among the 37 landfills that are operating with licences, licence violations have been detected at 13 landfills, the newspaper reported.

Overloaded trucks have been found to travel along dykes to transport construction waste from and to some 80 landfills.

Large amounts of construction waste have been gathered and transported within the flood drainage routes of the Đà, Đuống and Red rivers in six districts – Gia Lâm (33 construction landfills), Từ Liêm (28), Đông Anh (23) and Ba Vì (18), as well as Hoàng Mai (17) and Sơn Tây (16).

Director of the irrigation sub-department Đỗ Đức Thịnh said this illegal gathering and transportation of construction waste was damaging the dykes, embankments and riverbanks, creating favourable conditions for landslide and environment pollution.

Some construction landfills were throwing construction waste and installing steel poles in the rivers, obstructing the river flow and flood drainage routes.

In addition, a number of landfill owners had violated the Law on Mineral Resource Management and Exploitation when gathering black sand of unclear origin, he said.

Some 13-15 storms and tropical depressions are expected to occur during the rainy season this year, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

They will put as many as 18 locations at risk of flooding since the city’s drainage system is overloaded, the Hà Nội Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company said. — VNS