The dump contaminates the underground water that 1,300 inhabitants from 300 households access from their wells daily.

According to locals, many residents were suffering from cancer while others had died from diseases caused by drinking the water.

Le Quang Thinh, chairman of the Nhon Hoa People’s Committee said “After testing water samples from wells, relevant agencies discovered it was badly contaminated with bacteria.”

Local authorities said the earliest the dump could be moved was mid-2009.

Hundreds of households in the province’s Quy Nhon Town are also plagued by pollution from a garbage dump in Long My Commune.

Distressed residents had repeatedly blocked garbage vehicles from entering the dump.

Reported by Nguyen Phu