Hanoi police charge 4 over illegal dumping of thousands of tonnes of construction waste
Hanoi police have charged four people, including the directors of three environmental services companies, over the illegal dumping of thousands of tonnes of construction waste on agricultural land in the capital, authorities said on Tuesday.
An illegal construction waste dumping site is seen in Bat Trang Commune, Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Hanoi’s Department of Public Security
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case and charged the suspects with causing environmental pollution under Vietnam’s penal code, after uncovering large-scale, unlicensed dumping in Bat Trang Commune on the outskirts of Hanoi.
Those charged include the directors of Hanoi Urban Environment and Service JSC, ECON Hanoi Environment JSC, and Hanoi Urban Environment and Development JSC, as well as the owner of the dumping site, police said.
Emergency searches were also carried out at their homes and offices and documents, computers and contracts were seized.
Nguyen Van Hong (top), director of Hanoi Urban Environment and Service JSC, and Nguyen Tong Phuong, director of ECON Hanoi Environment JSC, are seen during questioning by investigators at the Hanoi police headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Hanoi’s Department of Public Security
Police said the dumping took place from 2023 onward on about 2,300 square meters of farmland near Ly Thanh Tong road, where waste was deposited mainly at night and later covered with soil to raise ground levels, despite the site lacking any permit to receive or treat waste.
Authorities estimated that a total of 7,829.5 tonnes of construction waste, equivalent to about 7,118 cubic meters, was illegally dumped at the site, with laboratory analysis confirming it as ordinary solid waste under government regulations.
Police officers inspect an illegal construction waste dumping site in Bat Trang Commune, Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Hanoi’s Department of Public Security
According to investigators, the three company directors arranged with the site owner to dump construction debris at fees of VND100,000 (US$3.8) to VND150,000 ($5.7) per truckload.
The dumped waste originated from multiple construction projects across Hanoi.
Police said the case remained under investigation and could be expanded.
Bao Anh - Quang The - Danh Trong / Tuoi Tre News
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