HÀ NỘI — Residents living around Nam Sơn dumping ground in Sóc Sơn District stopped blocking garbage trucks attempting to carry waste to the dump on Monday evening.

The Hà Nội Urban Environment Company mobilised workers and trucks to collect the large amount of rubbish piled up in the city’s streets and apartment buildings for treatment at Nam Sơn dumping ground after it was reopened.

Since last Friday, residents living near the dump prevented garbage trucks from entering the area to protest the sluggish pace of land clearance and compensation for a relocation project. The city’s streets were flooded with rubbish over the weekend as waste could not be transported to the dump.

In 2017, due to pollution caused by the dump, local authorities approved a project to relocate three communes – Bắc Sơn, Hồng Kỳ and Nam Sơn.

Residents want authorities to address pollution and compensate the affected households before they move out.

The authorities of Sóc Sơn District and the district People’s Committee have held meetings with residents since the protest broke out last week.

According to Phạm Xuân Phương, secretary of Sóc Sơn District’s Party’s Committee, the local authorities established a steering board in charge of land clearance and a team responsible for compensation to address the complaints.

Vice Chairman of the district’s People’s Committee Nguyễn Thế Hùng said that following discussions with residents, the committee ordered Sóc Sơn District authorities to pay compensation to those living within 500 metres of the site.

The committee also asked the authorities to approve compensation plans before March 30 and start to allocate the payments by the second quarter of this year.

The money will come from the district’s development and investment fund. — VNS