Original Vietnamese content is translated by LaoDongAI

Cleaning up after flooding, environmental sanitation workers "twice as hard"

Bảo Hân (báo lao động) 28/08/2025 08:21 (GMT+7)

After 2 days of flooding, the amount of garbage on Hanoi's streets increased compared to normal days, causing environmental sanitation workers to work hard to clean up.

On the afternoon of August 27, on Me Tri Street (Hanoi), a group of environmental sanitation workers consisting of 6 people (including 1 driver) cleaned up trash on the side of the road. According to the reporter's observation, after 2 days of heavy rain in Hanoi due to storm No. 5 causing heavy flooding, the amount of garbage gathered on Me Tri Street was more than usual; many large piles of garbage appeared.

Mot dong rac lon voi nhieu loai rac khac nhau tai le duong Me Tri. Anh: Bao Han
A large pile of garbage with many different types of garbage on the side of Me Tri Street. Photo: Bao Han

In addition to household waste, there are also broken wooden planks and sofas that people littered and thrown onto the streets, and workers have to clean them up. The stench from the piles of garbage is very unpleasant. Environmental workers had to use their hands (with protective gloves) to bring the garbage onto the vehicle to the collection site.

Cong nhan dung tay de gom rac len xe o to. Anh: Bao Han
The amount of waste released after flooding is higher than normal. Photo: Bao Han

Mr. Nguyen Van Son (production team No. 2, Urban Environment One Member Co., Ltd. - Cau Dien Branch said that the team in charge of the Thang Long Avenue route and main roads such as the National Convention Center, Pham Hung Street, Me Tri and Dai Lo service road.

Cong nhan ve sinh don rac lap o nap cong. Anh: Bao Han
Cleaning workers clean up garbage on the sewer covers. Photo: Bao Han

On normal days, the team collects garbage 3 trips/day; in recent days, it has increased to 4-5 trips/day. Because on August 26, many streets were flooded and had not been cleared, the amount of garbage on August 27 was double that of normal days" - Mr. Son said.

Cong nhan don rac bang tay. Anh: Bao Han
Workers clean up trash by hand. Photo: Bao Han

Workers in the group continuously use their hands to load the trash onto the car. The weather was not too hot, but the workers were all sweating and soaking their shirts. "The next day, the rain was flooded, the amount of garbage increased, making us workers work twice as hard as usual" - Mr. Son expressed.

Anh
Mr. Nguyen Van Son. Photo: Bao Han

According to Mr. Son, the work of the garbage collectors always has many potential risks affecting health, such as: Risk of electric leakage, fallen trees, injuries, infections from garbage..., but he always tries to complete the assigned tasks.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Vui - born in 1993, has been working in environmental sanitation for 7 years, sharing that after flooding, the amount of garbage makes work more difficult, and sweat always comes out.

Nhom cong nhan di chuyen den dia diem khac de thu don rac. Anh: Bao Han
The group of workers moved to another location to collect the garbage. Photo: Bao Han

I always try to complete my work well to keep the streets clean and beautiful, especially after the streets are flooded - there will often be a lot of garbage generated - Ms. Vui shared.

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