As disclosed by Deputy Head of the Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA) Pham Thanh Truc on February 12, the unit had submitted a report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee regarding the efforts for addressing pollution in export processing zones and industrial parks.
Reportedly, Ho Chi Minh City has 17 export processing zones (EPZs) and industrial parks (IPs) under operation. Of these, six have built a centralized waste treatment system.
However, issues related to air pollution, odors and untreated emissions remain, affecting both workers and nearby residential areas.
Regarding environmental protection in EPZs and IPs, wastewater management plays a crucial role. The wastewater generated in these zones includes domestic wastewater from daily activities within factories and worker facilities after preliminary treatment through a septic tank system, and industrial wastewater from manufacturing and production activities after on-site treatment.
This wastewater is collected and connected to the centralized wastewater treatment system within each industrial zone before being further processed.
Enterprises that generate emissions, dust and odors from boilers and incinerators have all installed treatment systems.
Domestic solid waste and industrial waste primarily generated from leftover food, carton packages and scrap paper are collected and processed according to regulations.
By the current time, most export processing zones and industrial parks citywide have installed automatic and continuous wastewater monitoring systems, and send data directly to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Although export processing zones and industrial parks have been conducting environmental protection measures effectively, challenges remain during their process because of a lack of specific guidelines on reusing treated wastewater from centralized treatment systems for irrigation and street cleaning. Additionally, some businesses have not complied with environmental regulations.
Currently, pollution is mainly concentrated in air emissions and odors generated from rubber processing and tobacco production. However, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has not yet issued technical standards for odor control, making it challenging to address these issues effectively.
Additionally, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has not yet issued a price list for environmental monitoring and analysis activities, which affects the bidding process for environmental quality analysis contracts, leading to authorities not collecting samples or measuring the quality of air emissions from businesses during inspections.
Regarding solutions for effective environmental protection in EPZs and IPs, Deputy Head of the Management Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority Pham Thanh Truc emphasized that Hepza will implement training sessions and awareness campaigns to instruct businesses on environmental protection laws and regulations; inspect centralized wastewater treatment systems in export processing zones and industrial parks to ensure compliance with environmental standards.
Especially, the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority will collaborate with the Project Management Board, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to continue researching, assessing and providing initiatives on policies related to eco-industrial parks (EIPs).
