"Roll call" of abandoned billion-dollar waste incinerator projects

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - In order to solve the problem of rural waste treatment in the period of 2015-2020, a number of waste incinerator investment projects in the province have been implemented in communes with the expectation of creating a sustainable solution for domestic waste treatment. However, after many years of implementation, most of these models have failed, many incinerators operate inefficiently and are abandoned, causing waste of budget.

Incinerator in Hoa Loc commune (Hau Loc).

A typical example is the Hoa Loc incinerator (Hau Loc) invested in construction in 2018 in village 2, Bai Trung with an area of ​​over 3,000m2. The project has a total investment of about 5 billion VND from the commune budget and part of the support from Hau Loc district budget. The initial design capacity is to process more than 7 tons of waste per day, aiming to serve the treatment of domestic waste for people in two communes: Hoa Loc and Xuan Loc with a population of over 17,000 people. However, right from the beginning of operation, the incinerator encountered an overload problem when the amount of waste to be processed each day was always over 10 tons, exceeding the design capacity. During operation, the incinerator often malfunctioned, with expensive repair costs, exceeding the local budget. After 4 years of operating at a standstill, in July 2022, the Hoa Loc incinerator officially stopped operating.

A survey showed that the incinerator area was now abandoned, overgrown with weeds, and many of the equipment and machines inside were damaged. People in Hoa Loc commune were heartbroken to see that the project, which had been invested with a large amount of money, was now just a pile of scrap.

According to the representative of the Hoa Loc Commune People's Committee, the incinerator applied bamboo technology but only operated effectively in the beginning. After that, the project quickly deteriorated due to outdated technology, capacity not meeting design, exhaust gas treatment system not meeting standards, causing environmental pollution and affecting the lives of surrounding residents... forcing it to stop operating. After the incinerator stopped operating, the commune signed a contract with a unit to collect people's waste and transport it to another place for treatment.

Incinerator in Dai Loc commune (Hau Loc).

Sharing the same fate as the incinerator in Hoa Loc commune, the domestic waste incinerator in Dai Loc commune (Hau Loc) with a total investment of more than 7 billion VND has also been abandoned for many years. This project was built on an area of ​​about 1.5 hectares by the People's Committee of Dai Loc commune as the investor. Construction items include: concrete roads, guardhouses, incinerator areas covered with corrugated iron roofs... The incinerator has a capacity to process about 12 tons of waste/day and night. Despite being invested properly, by the end of 2021 this incinerator had to stop operating due to technical and financial errors. Some local people said that in order to maintain operations, Dai Loc commune signed a contract with a local household to operate the incinerator, with a fee of 8,000 VND/person/month. After the 5-year contract ended, this household terminated the contract, citing degraded facilities, outdated technology, high maintenance costs, and insufficient revenue to cover expenses.

In Nhu Xuan district, the Xuan Binh incinerator is also abandoned. This project was invested in from 2017 and completed in 2019, expected to process 7-9 tons of waste/day, solving the problem of household waste for people in Xuan Binh, Bai Tranh communes and surrounding areas. However, since its completion, it has been 6 years but the project has not been put into use, many items have degraded over time due to lack of periodic maintenance. The reason why this incinerator is abandoned comes from the fact that the local population is scattered, the number of households paying waste collection fees is small, so there is no unit signing a contract to operate the incinerator.

The reality of investing in incinerators in some communes in the province shows that the management of construction investment and approval of investment plans is inappropriate, lacks feasibility, and has not calculated arising problems, causing the projects to be unable to operate or operate ineffectively, causing waste of the state budget, public outrage, and long-term consequences.

Article and photos: Minh Hien

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/diem-danh-cac-du-an-lo-dot-rac-tien-ty-bi-bo-hoang-251058.htm