Bac Tan Uyen district builds bright, green, clean, and beautiful countryside

Reaching new rural construction standards in 2018, Bac Tan Uyen district constantly makes efforts and continues to build a district that meets advanced rural standards. Agricultural production, daily-life and service activities entail environmental pollution, hence besides implementing solutions to successfully realize the goals of building advanced new rural areas, environmental protection is also important to the district and has changed positively.

As a district with strengths in agriculture, farmers always focus on production tied to environmental protection. In photo: Green Hill Farm produces fruit trees according to VietGAP standards.

 Economic development in harmony with the environment

Over more than 9 years of construction and development since its establishment, Bac Tan Uyen district has made efforts to mobilize and effectively exploit resources to ensure sustainable economic development in all fields in harmony with environmental protection.

In investment attraction, the district focuses on industries with high science and technology content, less labor intensive. Selective investment attraction is implemented to attract high-tech and environmentally friendly industry, commerce service. Enhance the socialization of tourism services in accordance with the planning orientation by exploiting the potential and advantages of the district.

Some models of agricultural production combined with tourism have helped promoting and enhancing the value of typical agricultural products of the home district, and at the same time giving visitors the opportunity to relax and get closer to the nature, experience the life of a farmer, thereby raising the awareness of preserving the environment. Namely, an activity of experiential tourism at Sol Retreat farm, visiting Tam Thuong farm (Hieu Liem commune), and garden farm of Dan Tien Cooperative (Tan Dinh commune).

The district encourages people to apply high-tech agriculture, organic agriculture, and limit the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment and users. With the main product, like citrus fruit, most farms apply VietGAP process, with food safety certification. In addition, some cooperatives promote organic citrus fruit production such as Nam Hang (Lac An commune), Nhan Duc (Hieu Liem commune), Hung Thuan commune, Tan Dinh commune... The district also plans to move production facilities and gradually eliminate small-scale livestock production out of residential areas, implement a planning to concentrate livestock in areas far from where people live.

Green Hill Farm (Cay Dau Hamlet, Hieu Liem Commune) with an area of 25 hectares is operated according to VietGAP process in order to improve product value and ensure consumers' health. Ho Cong Truong, farm owner said: “The orchard is planted and cared for according to a special process complying with VietGAP standards, ensuring food safety and hygiene. The farm pays special attention to environmental protection solutions such as reusing plastic bottles containing pesticides, nylon bags, and glass bottles. For non-reusable plastic waste, we classify plastic waste right from the source, concentrating at collection points for related industries to collect and treat.

Environmental protection combined with new rural construction

In the construction of new rural areas, environmental protection and landscape construction have contributed to changing the appearance of rural districts, helping the district to have a harmonious ecological environment. Currently, the entire amount of domestic waste in communes and towns in the district is collected and treated by specialized units.

In rural communes of Bac Tan Uyen district, it is easy to see that the environmental landscape is getting brighter every day. Many inter-commune, inter-hamlet roads and residential areas are renovated with flowers and green trees. The collection and treatment of domestic waste, the organization of periodic cleaning and sanitation activities in combination with the information about environmental protection and response to climate change have contributed to raising public awareness. Le Dinh Canh, a resident of Thieng Lieng hamlet, Tan Dinh commune, said: “The countryside has changed, streets and alleys have become spacious, and people are very exhilarated. In order to preserve environmental hygiene, we clean roads where we live, and put domestic waste in the right places. Contribute to install rural lighting to ensure the roads is always bright - green - clean - beautiful.

As being planned as an area specializing in citrus fruit cultivation, with the cooperation of both the political system and the people, Hieu Liem commune has reached the advanced new rural construction standards. In the new rural construction process, environmental criteria are focused by the commune. According to Mai Duc Quy, Chairman of Hieu Liem Commune People's Committee, with the main characteristics of agricultural production, in order to treat waste from used plant protection chemical packaging, the commune arranged 2 brothels and 26 tanks for collection and treatment. In addition, the commune also regularly mobilizes businesses, livestock and cultivation farms to reuse and recycle organic waste and agricultural by-products into raw materials, fuel, and environmentally friendly products.

Nguyen Nhat Trung, deputy head of the district's Natural Resources and Environment Office, said that in order to improve the efficiency of state management of environmental protection, competent agencies of the district focused on strengthening inspection, periodical inspection, and handling environmental violations in business. Besides, the competent instructs residents and households to make environmental records in the production and business process to control pollution and serve as a legal basis for inspection and examination.

 According to Nguyen Van Thuan, Vice Chairman of Bac Tan Uyen District People's Committee, rural environmental protection has continued to be concerned and implemented, production and business establishments have gradually met environmental treatment standards, ensuring the hygiene of the residential community. The district regularly directs communes to instruct people to collect and treat waste in accordance with regulations, to clean roads and alleys, to decorate houses, and to build hygienic latrines and bathrooms. Up to now, the district has 7 concentrated water supply stations to ensure sufficient supply of daily-life water for people; the percentage of households using clean and hygienic water in the whole district reaches 100%. In the coming time, the district will focus on upgrading rural areas, creating a rural environment landscape that is always "bright, green, clean, beautiful, and sustainable".

 Reported by T.Hanh, P.Thanh - Translated by Ngoc Huynh