The Vietnamese government should add environmental planning to the country’s plans for socio-economic development to realize its target of sustainable development, said Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen. Mr. Tuyen made the call at a recent conference on seeking comments for the revised draft Law of Environmental Protection, adding that it was a key measure to perfect the legal framework for environmental protection. In an effort to encourage greater commitment to environmental protection, Mr. Tuyen highlighted the need for strategic environment assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for major projects. The current regulations on environmental protection struggled with overlapping management, a lack of coordination between concerned agencies and increasing environmental violations, especially those from foreign investors. Tran Hoang Phuong from PanNature, a Vietnamese conservation organization, said that the environmental impact assessments (EIA) should be developed in line with its project investment initiative. The EIA should include effects on local resident livelihood, transparency of public information and monitoring. She emphasized the need to improve capacity to evaluate EIA and encourage the engagement of the public and local authorities in giving the green lights to develop projects. About 60% of industrial wastewater remains untreated or improperly treated before being discharged into the environment, including the Dong Nai River in the south and Cau, Nhue and Day rivers in the north. According to the Ministry of Public Security’s Environmental Police Department, nearly 25,000 environmental violation cases were uncovered in Vietnam in the last three years, of which, 350 cases were prosecuted and fined nearly VND200 billion ($9.43 million). Pollution remains an obstacle for socioeconomic development in Vietnam as the country reports an estimated loss of 5.5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) each year to rising environmental pollution. (Vietnam News Aug 20)
