Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh My, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Reporter of SGGP Newspaper had an exchange with Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh My, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment about urgent requirements in protecting environment and building a city with good quality of life and sustainable development.
Under the leadership of party committees at all levels, the efforts of departments and local authorities at all levels as well as the participation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in all districts and organizations, environmental protection work has achieved positive results. Specifically, communication campaigns on environmental protection have been launched regularly and simultaneously with various forms to suit different groups.
According to statistics, up to 99.2 percent of city people have access to propaganda information and the rate of people applying simple environmental protection actions in daily life reaches 86.1 percent. Additionally, the rate of conversion of self-made waste reached 92.8 percent and 137/312 wards and communes meet the set of criteria such as greenness, cleanliness, and environmental friendliness.
The control of waste sources is attached to the task of regularly disseminating legal regulations on environmental protection, handling administrative procedures in the field of environment and inspection, examination and treatment.
After five years of implementing the Environmental Pollution Reduction Program, the rate of industrial establishments treating wastewater reached 97 percent with the total amount of treated wastewater being 99 percent while the rate of industrial establishments investing in exhaust gas treatment systems at source or using less polluting fuels reaches 98 percent.
More importantly, all hospitals are invested in building wastewater treatment systems.
Plus, all of industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech parks, industrial clusters invest in infrastructure with centralized wastewater treatment systems and automatic wastewater monitoring systems with data transmission to the management agency.
Notably, solid waste management is also increasingly complete as more and more solid waste have been collected at source. Service quality and infrastructure, means of solid waste collection and transportation are step by step standardized while the implementation of solid waste treatment projects according to modern technology (energy recovery/power generation) has been carried out.
With efforts in propaganda about plastic waste, public awareness towards this issue has been enhanced. Departments, people's committees in districts have all issued plans to reduce the use of single-use plastic products in their operations at agencies and offices. All of supermarkets and commercial centers has solutions to reduce the use of plastic bags, limit single-use plastic products while staff encourages customers to bring shopping bags.
Some shortcomings still exists. Some people’s awareness of environment is still low as many roads, construction sites and public places are littered with garbage.
Bau Bang canal is cleaner after the city spends money to improve it
Worse, handling of solid wastes has been facing difficulties in collection; furthermore, several production establishments are located in residential areas.
The management and protection of the environment is a continuous and long-term process. In the period of 2021-2030, the city will focus on implementing and completing on schedule the targets of the Action Program of the city Party Committee and the city People's Committee on reducing environmental pollution.
Moreover, the implementation of the Directive 19 of the City Party Committee on mobilizing people not to litter on roads and canals must be conducted while focusing on implementing solutions to enhance trees and green areas throughout the city.
Last but not least, solutions will be adopted to promote greening production, greening consumption, developing green transportation, green energy towards building a green city - sustainable development and adaptation to climate change associated with climate change.
The targets and tasks of the program to reduce environmental pollution in the period of 2021-2030 and the plan to build a green - environmentally friendly city in the period of 2020-2025 will be implemented as well.
