Long An accelerating effort to control environmental pollution

To ensure that businesses operating in Long An province comply with approved environmental records and regulations on environmental protection, every year, inspectors from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment pay visits to industrial zones and clusters, and enterprises are at risk of causing environmental pollution and generating large waste sources.

At the same time, the Department coordinates with the Vietnam Environment Administration, the Environmental Police Agency, the Police Department of Long An Province, and related agencies to inspect enterprises’ observance of the law on environmental protection.

In addition, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with relevant agencies to pay unscheduled visits to enterprises operating causing environmental pollution under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee and complaints of the people and voters. The province administration is determined to throw a book on a violator who committed an environmental crime, especially violations in the discharge of wastewater and emissions that do not meet the technical regulations on waste into the external environment.

According to Nguyen Tan Thuan, from the end of 2018 to 2021, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with the Department of Construction, the Economic Zone Management Board, the Department of Industry and Trade, and people's committees in districts to implement the provincial People's Council’s Resolution No. 26 on the results of monitoring and strengthening the state management of environmental protection in industrial zones and clusters in the province.

In particular, it is required that the infrastructure investors of industrial zones and clusters build manholes to monitor wastewater outside the fence of secondary enterprises and centralized wastewater treatment stations to facilitate inspection and supervision of wastewater treatment.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment also requires infrastructure investors in industrial zones and clusters and enterprises with large waste sources to install automatic and continuous wastewater and emission monitoring systems and transmit data directly to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for tracking. Currently, there are 30 automatic wastewater monitoring stations.

At the same time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment liaising with relevant agencies regularly monitor environmental pollution as well as call for people's supervision for timely handling. This work will be chaired by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and coordinated with relevant agencies to continue implementing strict control in the coming time, such as updating the legal regulations on environmental protection, especially regulations on the installation of automatic and continuous wastewater monitoring systems, connection and direct data transmission to the Monitoring Station of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for monitoring and supervision.

Moreover, it will work with the Department of Planning and Investment, the Management Board of the Economic Zone, and the Department of Industry and Trade in selecting investment projects in addition to training investors.

On January 1, 2022, the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect and there was Decree No. 08/2022 detailing the management and treatment of wastewater. Currently, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue legal documents to manage wastewater to protect the province’s environment.