Only 17 per cent of communes and wards have dealt with the debris, the department says. Some have set up sanitation service co-operatives or groups to help manage rubbish, but the number of sanitation workers in each commune or ward is small, from 3-10 people.

Most communes and wards in Ha Noi still dump raw rubbish without classifying or treating it first, causing serious environmental pollution, says Nguyen Dang Binh, deputy director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

"It is a particular risk for the underground water system," he adds.

The problem is being blamed on low awareness among local people, with many farmers discharging production waste straight into the environment without treating it first.

The department’s environmental protection branch estimates that around 3,000 tonnes of household rubbish are discharged in the city each day.

Apart from the State-run Urban Environment Company, which is in charge of collecting, transporting and dumping the majority of rubbish within the city, there are five other businesses doing the same job in outlying districts of Ha Noi.

But there was still a lack of appropriate technology and capacity to treat rubbish in a way that will help protect the environment instead of dumping or burying, says Binh.

"At present, there is only one factory specialising in treating rubbish, located in former Ha Tay Province, but it doesn’t meet requirements because of outdated technology," he says.

"The department is working with relevant agencies to map out programmes to improve waste treatment capacity for the city to better protect the environment," he adds.

The municipal People’s Committee is working to finalise a programme to provide safe water and sanitation for rural areas during the 2009-15 period with a vision to 2020.

The programme aims to have 60 per cent of communes and wards in rural areas collect and treat rubbish in line with regulations by 2015.

Source: Viet Nam News