Vision needed to reduce pollution costs

A senior government leader warned that the nation will pay more dearly for having neither a vision nor a full understanding of environmental protection, as he sounded the alert on rampant violations of environment law, with violators becoming more cunning and sophisticated in their actions.

Addressing the third National Environment Conference in Hanoi on Nov. 18, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong emphasised the need to put vision and understanding in every planning decision, plan and project from central to grassroots level.

“Environmental protection must be a task of the entire political system and every single citizen. Ministries, sectors and localities should regard environmental protection as their prioritised duty,” the Government leader said.

Noting improvements in the quality of the environment, Trong reflected that this improving process had been still slow as pollution continued to occur, particularly in the lower areas of the Cau, Nhue and Day rivers in the north and the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers in the south.

Improper exploitation of natural resources, illegal hunting and trading of wild plants and animals and the import of harmful foreign creatures were causing environmental pollution and challenging protection efforts, he said.

However, Trong recognised the establishment of a system of State environmental protection management agencies from central to grassroots level and a furtherance in policies and laws pertaining to environmental protection.

From 2005 to 2010, 66 under-law documents, including 23 governmental- level documents and 43 ministerial-level ones, were stipulated, helping shape a comprehensive and consistent legal system for the stronger protection of the environment throughout the country.

According to incomplete statistics, about 60 strategic projects to assess the environment have been carried out and 7,000 invested projects have conducted environmental impact assessments since 2005.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is watching the treatment of hazardous wastes at the Hyundai-Vinashin shipbuilding plant, the Bai Bang paper plant, the Lam Thao chemical plant and the Miwon mill.

It is monitoring the implementation of environmental assessment at the Lam Dong and Nhan Co-Dak Nong bauxite complex and has completed the settlement of payments for economic and environment damage caused by the Vedan monosodium glutamate company for farmers living along the Thi Vai river which runs through Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces./.

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Miss Earth beauties share environmental ideas

Twenty candidates of the beauty pageant Miss Earth 2010 on Nov. 8 made a visit to the Da Phuoc Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City and met with local women to share environmental protection ideas.

The visit is the kick-start of the beauty competition -- hosted by Vietnam for the first time -- affirming the contest’s target of raising the public’s awareness of environmental protection.

At the meeting with women from Binh Chanh districts, the beauties shared their wishes that women and all people would pay more attention to the environment, waste, air pollution and water resources, and join hands in environmental protection for a better life.

Miss Earth 2009, Larrissa Ramos of Brazil said her country and many other countries, especially developing ones she has visited, are facing major environmental issues. She said waste in urban areas was an important issue and Vietnam and other countries needed to formulate effective management measures to protect the living environment and scenic urban areas.

Other beauties also stressed people’s responsibility in environmental protection. The host representative, Miss Vietnam World 2010 Luu Thi Diem Huong said attention should be paid to educating children and women on the importance of environmental protection.

The Miss Earth pageant, initiated by the Caruosel Production Group of the Philippines in 2001, is one of the five biggest beauty contests in the world.
This year’s contest gathers 90 delegates from countries and territories around the world, with various activities taking place in many localities nationwide from Nov. 4-Dec. 4. The final will be held in Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang coastal city, in the central province of Khanh Hoa./.

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Phu Yen environmental chief sacked for graft

Authorities in the central province of Phu Yen Tuesday announced that they have dismissed the director of the local environmental department for misappropriating a foreign-funded project.

According to the decision released by the Phu Yen’s People’s Committee, between 2007-2009, Nguyen Kim Phuc, Director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, was at the helm of the VND13 billion ($667,693) project funded by Sweden.

The project was part of the SEMLA program – a Swedish initiative to support environmental and natural resources programs in six provinces between 2004 and 2009.

Phuc, 53, and his subordinate Tran Thi Na forged documents to pocket tens of millions of dong from the project’s fund.

Police say Phuc allowed his subordinates to do the same, siphoning hundreds of millions of dong from the project.

Phuc was also charged with “lacking responsiby” for illegally granting licenses and renting out lands to Son Dung Bao Co. Ltd. and R&F Co. Ltd. for eco-tourism projects, according to authorities.

Last month, Phuc and Na were expelled from Phu Yen’s Party Unit for the violations.

A police investigation into the matter remains underway.

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Environmental project starts in Ha Long Bay

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A project on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay was officially put into operation on Thursday.

The project started in April and will be implemented for three years, with a budget of approximately US$3.8 million borne by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical cooperation scheme.

Inscribed into the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994, the aesthetically-endowed Ha Long Bay of Quang Ninh province has recently welcomed almost 5 million domestic and international visitors annually.

However, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has recently identified five main issues potentially threatening the World Heritage value of Ha Long Bay including population growth, increased tourism pressure and development, urban and industrial development, lack of financial and technical resources, and absence of an integrated planning approach.

The project aims to enhance capacity for environmental management of the Ha Long area for related provincial organizations in environmental monitoring and inspection, land use management, sustainable tourism planning and environmental education.

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Environmental project starts in Ha Long Bay

Photo: Tuoi Tre

A project on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay was officially put into operation on Thursday.

The project started in April and will be implemented for three years, with a budget of approximately US$3.8 million borne by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under its technical cooperation scheme.

Inscribed into the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994, the aesthetically-endowed Ha Long Bay of Quang Ninh province has recently welcomed almost 5 million domestic and international visitors annually.

However, the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has recently identified five main issues potentially threatening the World Heritage value of Ha Long Bay including population growth, increased tourism pressure and development, urban and industrial development, lack of financial and technical resources, and absence of an integrated planning approach.

The project aims to enhance capacity for environmental management of the Ha Long area for related provincial organizations in environmental monitoring and inspection, land use management, sustainable tourism planning and environmental education.

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Firms avoid environmental protection fees in HCM City

Many enterprises in HCM City have become debtors of the Municipal Environmental Protection Sub-department, not paying charges fixed by the city, a report says.

According to the sub-department, as of this month, more than 30 enterprises had not paid environment protection charges of about 3 billion VND (154,000 USD) for wastewater treatment alone.

Tran Ngoc Dinh, an official of the sub-department, said environmental protection charges had been collected since 2004 under Prime Minister's Decree 67.

However many enterprises in the city were still trying to avoid their obligations, he said.

Some of the enterprises had evaded payments for several years, Dinh said.

The Phan Muoi Company in Hoc Mon district, for instance, owes environmental protection fees of 51 million VND (2,600 USD), but to date, it has paid nothing, he said.

The Hau Sanh Company in Tan Binh District owed the department 55 million VND (2,800 USD), and while the Binh Trung Dong Company in district 2 owed 57 million VND (2,900 USD).

"We have many times sent warning letters to the enterprises. We have also discussed this issue several times with them. However, the situation has not changed," Dinh said.

While some of the establishments had closed, many were still in operation.

Nguyen Minh Hoang, deputy director of the municipal Environmental Protection Sub-department, attributed the evasion to a lack of serious punitive measures.

The sub-department was tasked to collect environmental protection charges from local enterprises but it did not have the authority to penalise violations, Hoang said.

Current environmental protection charges are very low, accounting for a small part of the total costs the city has to pay for processing wastewater and improving the environment, he said.

Enterprises in the city have to pay just 250 VND for one kilo of contaminated water that exceeds chemical-oxygen-demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) specifications, he said.

The report shows that many enterprises that have not paid their environmental protection dues continue to discharge polluted water into the environment, but have not been penalised.

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Firms evade environmental protection fees in HCMC

A number of enterprises based in Ho Chi Minh City have become debtors of the Municipal Environmental Protection Sub-department, not paying charges fixed by the city, a report says.

According to the sub-department, as of this month, more than 30 enterprises had not paid environment protection charges of about VND3 billion (US$154,000) for wastewater treatment alone.

Tran Ngoc Dinh, an official of the sub-department, said environmental protection charges had been collected since 2004 under Prime Minister's Decree 67.

However many enterprises in the city were still trying to avoid their obligations, he said.

Some of the enterprises had evaded payments for several years, Dinh said.

The Phan Muoi Company in Hoc Mon district, for instance, owes environmental protection fees of VND51 million ($2,600), but to date, it has paid nothing, he said.

The Hau Sanh Company in Tan Binh District owed the department VND55 million ($2,800), and while the Binh Trung Dong Company in district 2 owed VND57 million ($2,900).

"We have many times sent warning letters to the enterprises. We have also discussed this issue several times with them. However, the situation has not changed," Dinh said.

While some of the establishments had closed, many were still in operation.

Nguyen Minh Hoang, deputy director of the municipal Environmental Protection Sub-department, attributed the evasion to a lack of serious punitive measures.

The sub-department was tasked to collect environmental protection charges from local enterprises but it did not have the authority to penalize violations, Hoang said.

Current environmental protection charges are very low, accounting for a small part of the total costs the city has to pay for processing wastewater and improving the environment, he said.

Enterprises in the city have to pay just VND250 for one kilo of contaminated water that exceeds chemical-oxygen-demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) specifications, he said.

The report shows that many enterprises that have not paid their environmental protection dues continue to discharge polluted water into the environment, but have not been penalized.

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