A truck is carrying trash from different households in Vientiane to the land fields
Lao authorities admit concerns about trash
disposal during the 25th SEA Games which Laos will host in Vientiane
from December 09 to 18, as the city is currently able to dispose of only 60% of
its total daily trash.
High ranking officials of the Municipal Management
and Development recently admitted that trash disposal is one of issues of most concerns
for them during the SEA Games period, which will start a month from now.These authorities foresee that their city will
face trash disposal problems as currently Vientiane can dispose only 60% or about 180 tons of the roughly 300 tons that the city produces each day. This is due mainly
to the lack of trash sorting or categorization.
The remaining 120 tons have often been illicitly thrown or discarded to public areas such as streams, canals and marshes, which negatively impact
on the environment.
A woman pushes a cart loaded with paper boxes for recycling in capital Vientiane
However, authorities expect that Vientiane
residents will be cooperative with the government in separating recycle-able
trash from other type of trash, so that recycled trashes can be brought back to use. A high ranking official of the Municipal Management and Development believes that
will help solve the problem of the remaining 120 tons of trash that the city cannot get rid of.
Moreover, Vientiane is also increasingly facing
environmental problems stemming from the wastewater discharged from residents’ households to the That Luang Marsh. According to the Vientiane Science,
Technology and Environment Service, more than 270,000 people in the city have recently released wastewater from their households to this wet land area without
treatment, despite the fact that That Luang Marsh is a reservoir for most
water flowing from areas in the capital and plays an important role in
preventing flood, while also serving as fishing areas for local people.
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