Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has urged the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to build a master plan on solving environmental pollution in craft villages in 2011, the government said on its website. The ministry needs to cooperate with local authorities to assess the current environment in craft villages and work out solutions to the environmental pollution, Hai added, noting that the plan must be submitted to the Prime Minister this year. The plan should also focus on hygiene and safe water in rural areas and environmental protection at river basins. Vietnam has about 2,790 handicraft villages with the majority of 43% in the Red River delta, 12.2% in the northwestern region and 10.5% in the Mekong river delta, specializing in artifact, industrial products and foods processing. However, the environment pollution in the economic sector is at alarming level when it is reported two times higher than the permitted one. In fine arts woodwork village of Dong Ky in Bac Ninh province, the dust content is reported 1.5 times higher than the acceptable level. In Phong Khe paper recycling village in Bac Ninh, the locality’s space is covered by hundreds tons of waste paper, nylon and coal residues. Chi Dao lead recycling village in Hung Yen is reported to have the high content of lead, dust and carbonic gas in the air. (www.baodientu.chinhphu.vn [1] Jan 7, Thoi bao Kinh te Jan 10 p1)
