The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has warned that the country’s environmental pollution level will increase by 4-5 times within the next year alone. Over the past decade, Vietnam has seen a high economic growth rate, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, and massive exploitation of natural resources, all of which have contributed to the degradation of the environment, the ministry said.
Economic losses from environmental pollution are estimated to be 0.3 percent of the country’s GDP by 2010 and 1.2 percent by 2020. The experience of many countries shows that within ten years, if GDP doubles, environmental pollution increases five-fold.
A recent survey conducted in 18 economic sectors indicates that the steel industry has the most harmful impact on the environment in Vietnam, said Prof. Dr. Phan Dang Tuat, Director of the Institute for Industrial Policy Strategy.
According to the Department of Safe Techniques and Industrial Environment under the General Department of Environment (GDE), only three out of nine industrial parks around Hanoi have invested in waste water treatment systems and up to 60 percent of the IPs’ waste has not yet been properly processed.
“Hanoi is one of the dustiest cities, with a large volume of industrial gas emissions containing various toxic chemicals” said Nguyen Van Thanh, the department’s deputy director.
To cope with the situation, the GDE has built a plan to thoroughly treat chemical-borne environmental pollution in the whole country and is urgently amending regulations on imported waste management.
Among 439 pollution-causing establisments nationwide, only 87 have completed thorough pollution treatment measures. 106 have basic measures in place, 198 are in the process of implementation, while 21 have not yet started and 27 have been dissolved or gone bankrupted.
It is estimated that around 7.6 billion USD is needed for environmental protection in economic sectors such as wine-beer-beverages, seafood, paper, garments, construction, mechanical engineering, transport, electricity, mineral exploitation, health, shipbuilding and cement.