Environmental pollution caused by waste water from local factories in Vietnam is the same old story.
It is remembered that Vedan Vietnam Monosodium Glutamate Plant was strongly hit by public criticism when it dumped wastes into the Thi Vai River ten years ago.
At that time, some did not take the problem seriously, for the Thi Vai river flows into the sea of Can Gio. They forgot that nearly twenty thousand hectares of salt-marsh biosphere forest (which is seen as the “green lungs” of Ho Chi Minh City) could be completely damaged by polluted water.
Water pollution
The Dong Nai River is facing the same situation. Dong Nai Province has made great efforts to attract foreign investors by laying “red carpets” under their feet with offers of every incentive.
Unfortunately, the authorities forgot a very important thing: Foreign investors did not make their commitments on waste water treatment and industrial wastes recycling.
The imminent danger of pollution has now exposed itself. Water contamination in the Dong Nai River system is now an urgent matter.
Air pollution is another serious problem. While many countries has banned the use of car engines with high pollution index, Vietnam still buys old-fashioned engines to produce a series of city buses.
Instead of equipping itself with the most advanced technologies, it seems that the developing country is lagging behind in the field of environmental protection.
People have recently heard of some kinds of motorbikes with the exhaust pipes which vomit smoke into the road-users’ faces. Another difficult question to Vietnamese people is how to develop without harms to health.
Once again, it should be reminded that economic growth coupled with environmental protection is an unchangeable rule of sustainable development.
