(Bqp.vn) - The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Air Force - Air Defence Command of Viet Nam’s Ministry of National Defence recently cooperated with the Da Nang People’s Committee to hold a session to share information with community representatives about the progress on the “Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contamination at Da Nang Airport” project.
“The project remains on schedule and on target to complete the clean up in 2016,” said Mr. Joakim Parker, the Director of the USAID Viet Nam Mission. He added that the containment and treatment structure is now full with 45,000 cubic metres of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment. The first phase of remediation is planned to begin in April 2014 and approximately 95% of the dioxin will be destroyed within the in-pile thermal desorption (IPTD) treatment structure. Any remaining dioxin will be captured as liquid and vapor and treated in an adjacent secondary treatment system, which will be monitored to ensure that dioxin is not released into the air or nearby water. The second phase excavation is being implemented and remediation will continue in late 2015 or early 2016.
Colonel Do Duy Kien, Head of the Military Science Office at the Air Force - Air Defense Command (MND) reported that, the MND has completed the UXO clearance on a total area of 31.8 hectares of land and lakes. However, due to the importance of the project and under the request of USAID, from April to May this year, the MND will clear again a total of over 5 hectares of the entire area of Sen lake.
The “Environmental Remediation of Dioxin Contamination at Da Nang Airport” project was officially launched in August 2012. The project, approved by the Vietnamese government in 2011, will use 84 million USD of ODA from the United States Government and 35 billion VND, equivalent to 1.7 million USD, of counterpart funding from the Government of Viet Nam. It is estimated that more than 73,000 m3 of dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment, in an area of more than 191,400 m2 of the airport, will be subjected to remediation. It is anticipated that all dioxin contamination in the area will be cleaned up by the end of 2016.
