Limiting dust pollution at Long Thanh airport

According to the report ACV has just sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment , the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province on the plan to reduce dust pollution at the component project 3 "Investment in construction of Long Thanh International Airport Phase 1", the Corporation said that it has paid a fine of VND 270 million and taken remedial measures as required in Decision No. 24/QD-XPHC dated April 24, 2023 of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

ACV said it has established a specialized water spraying truck team at the construction site under the direct management of the contractor's Labor Safety Team and direct supervision by the Project Management Board; applied information technology to manage and operate each member contractor to spray water on the transportation route, and established a zalo group to supervise and operate each watering truck driver.

ACV commits to completing the service road system according to the approved design before May 15, immediately deploying settling pits and drainage ditches in the 722-hectare land reserve area and regulating lakes according to the approved design documents; Organizing training and propaganda for cadres, workers, drivers, and machine operators to comply with regulations on ensuring environmental sanitation. Soil transport vehicles must run on the prescribed route that has been watered, and vehicle speed must not exceed the prescribed speed in the construction site.

ACV has also transferred 2 fire trucks to the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board to focus on dust suppression. For contractors working in the construction area, ACV said it has decided to reduce the construction intensity during peak hours of strong dust (10am to 12pm; 1pm to 4pm). Grass planting will also be carried out immediately after the completion of the 722-hectare landfill to restore vegetation cover and limit the wind from blowing dust back into the surrounding air.

According to the Department of Environment (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), after working with the Inspection Team, ACV has shown a receptive spirit, actively implemented remedial measures and strengthened environmental protection. Up to now, the entire amount of soil that the contractors have excavated and filled (about 70 million m3) has been transferred to the 722-hectare excavated soil storage area. Of which, about 40% of the area has been compacted and completed according to elevation. Grass has been planted in the 722-hectare soil storage area, however, due to unfavorable weather, the grass has not yet grown.

Along with the two transferred fire trucks, ACV plans to add more fire trucks from Tan Son Nhat airport to serve the work of spraying water to reduce dust from the construction site and is currently digging 3 temporary settling ponds in the construction area to serve as water storage for dust spraying and to collect overflowing rainwater during the rainy season during construction.

Previously, the Inspection Team noted that ACV had used water spraying to suppress dust, but dust pollution still occurred in the air. One of the reasons was that ACV carried out construction and leveling work simultaneously over a large area (the entire area of 2,532 hectares), leading to an increased possibility of dust generation over a large area. The amount of water used for spraying and watering dust did not meet the requirements for regular watering. The large number of moving vehicles, operating continuously in 3 shifts, and moving at a fast speed led to a large amount of dust being carried and dispersed around. In addition, due to unfavorable weather factors, during the dry season, whirlwinds often form, carrying a lot of dust high up, causing dust to be dispersed around.

Based on the violations, the Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Decision No. 24/QD-XPHC dated April 24, 2023 to impose administrative sanctions on ACV in accordance with the provisions of Decree No. 45/2022/ND-CP.

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