LookAtVietnam – Tu Liem district in western Ha Noi is notorious amongst drivers for its dust-laden roads.

Trucks cause dust pollution that not only affects visibility but also the health of residents.

This situation has not improved for four years despite the frequent operations of three local truck washing stations.

In early 2005, to restrict dust caused by trucks travelling from three local sand depots (Ben Bac in Dong Ngac commune, Chem 1 and Chem 2 in Thuy Phuong Commune), the district People’s Committee assigned Thang Long Environment and Service Joint Stock Company to build three truck washing stations in these areas.

According to the company, which also takes responsibility to manage the stations, the initial construction costs for each station were estimated at VND100 million to VND150 million (US$5,400-8,100) with monthly operational expenses of VND60 million to VND70 million ($3,240-3,780).

However, the stations have proved to be inefficient, as trucks after being washed still discharge large amount of dust in the area.

“One of reason for the pollution has been trucks transporting construction materials failing to cover their loads, so sand and lime blocks often spill out, clouding the streets in dust,” said head of the Ben Bac washing station Nguyen Ngoc Thuc.

Dust monitoring conducted by the Ha Noi Natural Resources and Environment Department in 2008 showed the city’s western area had the highest level of dust at 2.28kg per sq.m on the roads and 1.23mg per cubic metre in the air.

The figures are more than six times the standard (0.2mg per cu.m of air) while dust levels on Kim Lien street and the Tay Ho area exceeded the standard by 1.7 to 2.2 times.

Ben Bac washing station employs only three staff and its prices range from VND3,000 to VND5,000 ($0.16-0.27) for each wash.

Trucks from the site are quickly sprayed with jets of water on either side in a wash for just a minute; but truck tops caked with sand are never washed.

Explaining why a number of overloaded trucks still passed the station, Thuc said: “Our job is only to wash sand from trucks, not to control whether they carry more sand than the allowed level.”

He added that such supervision work was the responsibility of the district’s police and traffic inspectors.

An estimated 200 to 250 trucks stop at the station everyday for cleaning.

Another dozen trucks drivers a day avoid the wash, and take a short-cut to avoid paying the service fee.

Truck driver Le Van Nam, who avoids the station sometimes, said: “As I have to go for sand so often, I can’t afford the washing fees. Instead I can save some money.”

The situation is not better at Chem 2, as over half an hour, dozens of trucks pass the stations spilling sand over the roads.

According to staff in the cleaning station, traffic inspectors twice a week patrol around the areas to check for overloaded trucks.

However, over 95 percent of trucks travelling in the area fail to meet sanitation standards and carry excessive amounts of construction materials, according to general director of the Ha Noi Urban Environment Company Chu Van Chung.

Under city regulations, trucks carrying construction materials have to cover their body and have their wheels, space under trucks, and body-work washed before they travel. Trucks are not allowed to be overloaded, and the amount of materials must not be higher than the height of the body sides.

Nguyen Van Suu, a resident in Chem 2, said dust, sand and gravel were regularly spilled everywhere.

“Some households who need some small construction work or house repairs don’t need to buy construction materials, but instead collect it on the roads,” he said.

Head of the Urban Construction Department of Tu Liem District People’s Committee Do Anh Tuan said the establishment of the three washing stations aimed to solve the problem, but they were not very effective.

“Co-ordination between relevant authorities, including police and traffic inspectors to deal with the problem is not firm enough, even though the committee has sent directives many times,” he said.

Tran Dang Hai, deputy chief inspector of the municipal Transport and Public Works Department, said the patrol forces and inspectors frequently implemented measures to restrict the violations.

“However, we lack inspectors for comprehensive inspections around the areas”, he said. “More effective collaboration between construction and environment inspectors is needed.”

According to environment experts, long lasting dust pollution will have a serious impact on the environment and people’s health. Dust also affects driver safety as people try to ride their bikes faster to avoid dust, leaving them more likely to have traffic accidents.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News