A So airport cleared from dioxin contamination
The Chemical Command under the Ministry of Defence on October 24 announced the completion of dioxin cleanup at A So airport in A Luoi district, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue.
Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of Defence and head of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences, said after three years of implementation, A So airport is now free of the toxic chemical which has damaging impact on people’s health and the environment.
He attributed the success to the Party and State’s resolve to handle post-war consequences as well as the Vietnam People’s Army’s capacity to master advanced science-technology.
The project on the work was approved by the Ministry of Defence in March 2020. At a cost of VND74 billion (US$3 million) from the State budget, the project covered mine clearance on an area of more than 9 hectares, and collection and treatment of dioxin contaminated soil.
Almost 38,718 cubic meters of polluted soil were buried to contain the spread of the toxic chemical, while microbiologic technology was deployed to clear dioxin residue in another part of the airport.
During wartime, the US military used A So Valley in A Luoi district as an airfield to transport and store Agent Orange.
Thua Thien – Hue is home to nearly 16,000 people exposed to Agent Orange, including 5,000 in A Luoi district.
