Thousands of tons of trash in Da Lat landfill burning for days

Columns of smokes, dozens of meters tall, could be seen from afar from the Cam Ly landfill in Ward 5, which spans 12 ha.

The smokes and stench have prevented several families from working on gardens which are next to the landfill. When the winds rose, smokes from the fire also invaded neighborhoods in Ta Nung Commune and Lam Ha District, polluting the areas.

The Da Lat Urban Service company, which manages the landfill, has dispatched firefighting trucks to the area to prevent the fire from spreading. As the trash has been piling up for years, coupled with dry weather conditions, putting out the flames proves to be difficult, it said. Authorities plan to put the fire under control within a week.

The Cam Ly landfill, 5 km away from downtown Da Lat, is a collection point for domestic waste in both Da Lat and Lac Duong Town of Lam Dong Province. The landfill was closed down in 2020, and ever since domestic waste has been transported to a factory in Xuan Truong Commune, about 22 km away from downtown Da Lat.

This was not the first time the Cam Ly landfill caught fire. It burned for days in December 2019, causing similar pollution problems.