People "cry out" because of dust from the renovation of Ho Chi Minh road

QTO - Ho Chi Minh Road (Western branch) through Dakrong commune, Quang Tri province, many sections are being dug up for construction, renovation and upgrading of the road surface. Coal trucks from La Lay International Border Gate run on this route every day. The lack of thorough dust treatment during construction has affected the lives and activities of the people as well as posed potential traffic safety risks.

People's lives are affected

Traveling on the Ho Chi Minh Highway (Western branch), through Dakrong commune, we encountered many difficulties due to dust from the construction of road surface renovation and upgrading. In the newly paved sections, every time a car, especially a coal-carrying tractor-trailer, passed by, a huge white dust cloud covered the area, causing loss of visibility and air pollution. Many motorcyclists had to stop, pull over to the side of the road, and wait for a large vehicle to pass before continuing their journey.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, a resident of Ta Rut commune, who regularly travels this route every day by motorbike to Dakrong for work, said: “Every time I go out, I have to cover my face, wear a mask, and wear a jacket because when I get to work, I am covered from head to toe in dust. On sunny days, when there are many coal trucks, it is very difficult to travel because the road is narrow, steep and under repair, especially when the dust covers the road and you cannot see the road.”

The construction unit is renovating and upgrading the road surface of Ho Chi Minh route (West branch) - Photo: QH

The villages living along this road are directly affected in their daily lives. Ms. Ho Thi Hiep, in Ta Leng village, Dakrong commune, said that her house is close to the road so she is miserable because of the dust. “Dust flies all over the house. Before cooking, I have to wash all the pots and pans, and before eating, I have to wash the dishes. There is dust everywhere in the house. I don’t know when the dust will go away,” Ms. Hiep worried.

Not far away, people in Pa Tang village also complained about the dust. Ho Van Cang said that everyone in the neighborhood keeps their doors closed all day, especially those with small children. “Even though all the doors are closed, dust still flies into the house, clinging to blankets, floors and household items. The time when coal trucks run a lot is around 7pm, so we can’t sleep well,” Cang said.

Watering twice a day is still dusty!

The Ho Chi Minh Road surface improvement project through Dakrong commune is invested by Road Management Area 2 and divided into many construction packages. Accordingly, the roadbed and surface improvement package from Km249 to Km266+360 is constructed by Construction Service and Trade Joint Stock Company 68; the contract progress is scheduled to be completed by December 2025. The roadbed and surface improvement package from Km267+180 to Km277+360 is constructed by Bien Dong Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company, and has so far completed 5.5/6.7km; the contract progress is scheduled to be completed by December 2025.

Talking to reporters, the Field Engineer of the 68 Vu Viet Khoa Construction Service and Trade Joint Stock Company admitted that the dust on the Ho Chi Minh Road under construction affects the daily life and travel of people. “According to the process, the unit sends water trucks twice a day, in the morning and evening. However, it can only be relatively resolved, but it is difficult to completely resolve it, because the weather is hot and sunny, and after only one hour of watering, the road dries and the dust returns. We try to minimize it as much as possible, but it is very difficult to completely resolve it, because the construction site is long,” said Mr. Khoa.

Dust covers the road under repair, causing pollution and posing a potential traffic safety risk - Photo: QH

According to Mr. Khoa, on the Ho Chi Minh route (West branch), the traffic volume of tractor-trailers is large and they run fast, causing terrible dust. This is also a difficulty affecting the construction process because the road is narrow. "Currently, the unit is processing the structure of the road surface to increase its load-bearing capacity, then paving the asphalt; trying to shorten the completion time to October 2025," Mr. Khoa added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Duong Xuan Ky, Bien Dong Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company, said that the section from Km267+180 to Km277+360 is divided into many packages and many construction units. During the construction process, there are water trucks to ensure that the road surface does not peel off and dust is not generated.

Construction of traffic works is very difficult to avoid affecting the daily life and travel of people. However, to the extent possible, contractors need to pay special attention to implementing solutions to minimize the occurrence of dust causing environmental pollution, affecting people's health, as well as traffic safety risks.

Quang Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202509/nguoi-dan-keu-troi-vi-bui-tu-cai-tao-duong-ho-chi-minh-63b11d3/