National Assembly deputies on October 29 focused on protecting the environment and how Viet Nam should adapt to climate change. Many agreed that the environment had yet to get proper State attention.
Deputies said this was highlighted by the establishment of several industrial zones without previous inspections on the treatment of factory waste - and the continued axeing of forest areas.
Deputy Vi Trong Le of northern Phu Tho Province said that forests with a total area of 4.6 million hectares had been entrusted to 700 State-owned forest farms. However, most of these forests were being misused or cut down indiscriminately.
This was partly blamed on a lack of workers in forested areas, which were too large for them to manage.
The local people were described by deputies as being ignorant of State policies and struggling on low incomes. When contracted by State farms to grow trees and take care of the forests, many chopped trees down to make quick and illegal profits.
Le said it was necessary for the Government to inspect the use of forest land to prevent massive deforestation. He added that punishments at present were negligible.
To try and solve the problem, the deputy suggested local authorities should be entrusted with the protection of forests and reforestation.
Deputies also wondered if a national programme to plant 5 million hectares of forests would be effective.
Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc said that the programme would protect existing forests by widening plantation areas.
Deputies said they were also worried about the massive establishment of small-scale hydro-electricity projects with a capacity of under 30 megawatts in northern and central provinces.
They blamed them for the cutting down of thousands of hectares of forests and negatively affecting the flow of streams, reservoirs and river levels.
The Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang, told the assembly that the ministry and agencies would examine offending hydro-electricity projects and change regulations to protect the environment.
Deputy Huynh Van Tiep from Can Tho City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) delta said environmental pollution was rampant in urban and industrial areas, which often lacked waste-treatment systems. He said untreated waste water was discharged into rivers because the polluters knew that punishment levels were low.
Tiep said that laws for environmental protection should be amended to match the seriousness of the offence.
Deputy Hoang Van Toan from northern Vinh Phuc Province said the lack of well-qualified environmental-protection officers was a main contributor to environmental destruction.
Other deputies expressed concern about the effects of uncontrolled mining and sand exploitation.
The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Pham Khoi Nguyen, said the ministry would revoke the exploration licences of the owners of mines if they violated environment laws.
Deputies also agreed that people’s lives were also being affected by climate change as a result of environmental pollution.
They said climate change had led to more floods, rising water levels and other natural disasters. The Government should help people prepare for or cope with these disasters.
Deputy Trinh Thi Nga from central Phu Yen Province said the Government should allocate capital for coastal provinces to buy boats and equipment to rescue victims as flooding grew worse.
She said there should also be projects to build and improve dykes and sea walls along the coastline.
Deputy Nguyen Van Phuc from central Binh Thuan Province said that no methods for combating and preventing natural disasters had ever been mentioned in socio-economic development plans - or money set aside.
Phuc said Typhoon Ketsana, which struck central Viet Nam last month, caused losses of VND14 trillion (US$786 million) which must have affected the economic stimulus package.
He said combating and preventing natural disasters should be included among sustainable socio-economic development tasks. If this was not done, Viet Nam would have to spend a lot of money each time a dissaster hit.
So far, the Government had spared only VND18 billion ($1 million) for climate-change adaption. But, so far there were no shelters for boats in central provinces.
Deputy Dong Huu Mao from central Thua Thien - Hue Province said people in central region were hit by storms every year. Moving them to safe places took time and money.
Mao said the Government should help people build houses designed to withstand floods and storms.