Binh Duong province to turn towards sustainable development - Part 1

Part 1: Mobilizing resources for environmental protection

In the process of industrialization, urbanization, Binh Duong province has paid much attention to environmental protection. Provincial policy on environmental protection has been consolidated during the industrialization process. That is the development must go hand in hand with environmental protection; create a healthy and friendly living environment for the people.

Investing heavily in environmental protection practices

In the 2011-2015 period, Binh Duong province mobilized totally VND 3,875 billion for environmental protection practices, including VND 1,938 billion from official development assistance (ODA) fund. As a result, the province has now 13 environmental protection projects including 8 completed and put into use projects. Some typical projects are: composite fertilizer factory, water environment improvement project in southern Binh Duong, drainage projects in An Tay, Mai Trung, Viet Huong 2 industrial park; underground water monitoring system…

Binh Duong province has achieved good results in environmental protection. Image: The project of renovating wastewater treatment system in Viet Huong 1 industrial park (Thuan An town)

According to Department of Natural Resources and Environment, these projects have contributed significantly to improving the living environment in industrial parks and residential areas. Thus, Binh Duong has been appreciated in terms of environmental protection by other provinces and the Central. Besides, the integration of environmental protection requirements into planning has been well executed, such as: the general urban planning; the overall plan for solid waste management and treatment; industrial park development planning… In addition, the province has also integrated environmental protection standards into cultural family criteria.

Environmental information database of industrial facilities were established. Binh Duong province basically completed the update on enterprise database with more than 2,500 provincial production facilities, 1,200 district facilities; achieving 60% production facilities. Meanwhile, environmental inspection, supervision works have also been conducted seriously. In the last 5 years, the authorities inspected 4,545 units, sanctioned 1,315 units and collected a total fine of VND30 billion. This indicated that all provincial levels and sectors had attached much importance to environmental protection.

Raising awareness of environmental protection

Regarding shortcomings in environmental protection practices of the province, Nguyen Hong Nguyen, Deputy Director of Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the main issue was that some companies, people’s awareness had not been enhanced. Environmental protection is for the people, thus the poor awareness of some companies and persons has obstructed the work. In fact, constrained environmental pollution can improve the environmental quality in the province. However, environmental pollution still occurs, like: surface water pollution on southern channels, groundwater pollution in some areas with high industrialization and urbanization speed, dust and noise pollution at intersections and mineral mining sectors…

PPC candidly acknowledged, the authorities had intensified the State management on environmental protection, but there were still some limitations. Forecasting competency for environmental quality changes is also limited; solid waste management system is slow and has not met socio-economic development requirements; environmental income sources have not been well utilized; capital mobilization for infrastructure construction and technical base of water supply, solid waste treatment has been strengthened but still has not kept pace with socio-economic development in the province.

Nguyen Hong Nguyen shared, the global economic crisis had influenced the resource mobilization for environmental protection. Additionally, some enterprises have not abided well by the laws; insufficient water supply system affected negatively environmental protection plans for the 2011-2020 period. According to Mr. Nguyen, in the 2016-2020 period, in addition to handling rigorously environmental violations, environmental protection practices should be aggressively promoted among all people strata, all economic sectors.

In the next stage, socio-economic in general, industrial – urban of Binh Duong in particular will face drastic changes, when Vietnam joins ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other FTAs; thereby, environmental protection practice should be lifted up to match the development requirements. Among these, the critical task will be to bring Binh Duong province to a type-1 urban city directly under the Central before 2020, a civilized, clean, beautiful urban, a worth living city to all people.

(To be continued)

Reported by Phung Hieu – Translated by Ngoc Huynh