The D'Ran Pass stretches 10 kilometers on National Highway 20, serving as the main gateway to Da Lat, a famed highland resort destination in Lam Dong, from Phan Rang in neighboring Khanh Hoa Province.
Household items damaged by floodwaters, including blankets, mats, mattresses, furniture, mud, and uprooted trees, have been collected by residents in affected hamlets such as Lac Thien 1 and Quang Lac in D'Ran Commune and transported to the roadside along the pass.
Local residents said the move was a last resort to clear debris from residential areas in the absence of an official dumping site.
At the foot of the D'Ran Pass, piles of waste are clearly visible, consisting mainly of soaked bedding, broken household furniture, and damaged interiors.
The volume is estimated at dozens of metric tons, most of which remains untreated.
Adding to the problem, large quantities of spoiled agricultural produce swept away by floodwaters have also been dumped there, creating a strong and unpleasant stench.
Nguyen Thi Tam, 60, a resident of Lac Thien 1 Hamlet, said her family had to clean up a huge amount of mud and debris after the floods but had nowhere to dispose of it properly.
"We hope the authorities can soon help transport the garbage to designated sites to avoid pollution and health risks," she said.
"We only dumped it on the pass because there was no other choice. It would be heartbreaking if such a beautiful road permanently turns into an illegal dumping site."
According to the D'Ran Commune People's Committee, residents were encouraged to clean up their surroundings as soon as floodwaters receded to prevent prolonged environmental contamination.
However, waste collection and transportation have faced serious obstacles due to the absence of a proper landfill in the area.
Previously, waste was transported to a disposal site in Ka Do, but this location is far from flood-hit areas.
Meanwhile, roads damaged by landslides and erosion after heavy rains have further complicated transportation and significantly increased costs.
Local authorities acknowledged that some residents have illegally dumped garbage on vacant land along the D'Ran Pass, with some incidents occurring at night.
In addition, some households have burned waste on-site, raising concerns about forest fire risks and air pollution.
The commune has formally requested support in terms of vehicles and funding to organize centralized waste collection, transportation, and treatment in the aftermath of floods.
Since the start of the year, Lam Dong has been repeatedly hit by natural disasters, including heavy rain, thunderstorms, whirlwinds, lightning, strong winds, floods, and landslides.
Authorities confirmed that these disasters have killed 17 people and injured 21 others, Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported, citing statistics from the provincial administration.
More than 20,000 houses have collapsed, lost roofs, been flooded, or damaged; over 27,700 hectares of crops have been affected; more than 63,000 livestock and poultry have died or been swept away; and 182 hectares of greenhouses have collapsed or lost roofing.
The most recent heavy rains in early December alone flooded more than 8,000 homes, damaged around 5,200 hectares of crops, sank 30 fishing vessels, and caused losses estimated at about VND242 billion (US$9.2 million).
Several key transport routes ravaged by landslides, including the D'Ran Pass, Prenn Pass, Mimosa Pass, Gia Bac Pass, and national highways 27C, 28, and 28B, have since undergone emergency repairs to keep traffic flowing.
REFERENCE MOREMajor mountain passes leading to Vietnam's Da Lat reopen after landslidesREFERENCE MORELandslides threaten 35ha pine hill, force evacuations in Vietnam's Lam DongREFERENCE MORESevere flooding inundates 3,300 homes, leaves 1 dead in Vietnam's Lam Dong