Dioxin detoxification project continues in Da Nang airport

As planned, the phase will treat about the remaining 45,000 cu.m of dioxin contaminated land and mud in the airport, benefiting locals and contributing to further promoting the bilateral ties between Vietnam and the US.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh stressed that the event shows tireless efforts of Vietnamese and US authorised agencies in accelerating the project implementation towards completing dioxin detoxification in Da Nang, thus cleaning the soil and ensuring safety for local residents’ health and daily activities.

Vinh, who is also head of the Defence Ministry’s department for handling Agent Orange/dioxin consequences, revealed that the ministry has worked closely with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to complete an environmental assessment project in Bien Hoa airport in the southern province of Dong Nai.

The findings have been submitted to the Government for considering the making of detail detoxification plans, he added.

Da Nang International Airport is a dioxin “hot spot” with the high level of contamination in its soil after the war. With the approval of the Vietnamese Prime Minister in 2011, USAID and the Defence Ministry have worked together to remove dioxin from the airport.

The project aims to use the thermal treatment system to clean up 90,000 cu.m of contaminated soil and mud. By May this year, the two governments announced that half of the target was fulfilled in the first phase.

The second phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2017.