According to the supervisory group, environmental pollution at trade villages is “alarming”. However, it is difficult to deal with this situation since all provinces are running after the goal of increasing budget revenue and economic growth.
According to the supervisory group’s report about the situation at 15 economic zones and 48 trade villages, facilities to protect the environment is being built at snail speed at economic zones. With the current development of economic zones, environmental pollution will be a great threat in the near future.
According to inspectors of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, many plants in economic zones did not seriously implement their commitments on environmental protection. They often discharged untreated waste water to the environment. In some economic zones, waste water treatment stations only worked when inspectors came. Most of economic zones do not have air observing stations.
In that situation, post-inspection to appraise environmental impacts from plants has not been carried out regularly and resolutely. Violators have not been punished seriously. The current fines on violators are too low in comparison with the expenses that businesses have to pay for waste treatment facilities. They are ready to pay fines than investing in building treatment facilities. The highest fine level is VND500 million ($25,000).
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Bui Cach Tuyen,said that the highest expenditures for environmental pollution at economic zones is VND618 million ($30,000) (Ha Tinh province in 2009). At Van Phong Economic Zone in Khanh Hoa province, it was only VND10 million ($500) and VND30 million ($1,500) in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Many provinces did not allocate funding for environmental protection at their economic zones.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Diep Kinh Tan, complained that the countryside was used to very pure and peaceful but it is polluted now. He said that trade villages earn around $1 billion from exports annually but the environmental consequences would be very serious in the next 5-10 years.
Environmental pollution at trade villages can break the rural landscape. Most of enterprises at trade villages use outdated technology. Many of them use cheap and toxic materials to cut cost. These problems have been not solved for years.
The supervisory team said that the local governments must be responsible for controlling pollution at economic zones and trade villages. However, local administrations are trying to call for investment into these zones and villages, so they neglect environmental violations.
Deputy Minister of Finance, Nguyen Huu Chi, said that in some locations, the local authorities collect one USD of revenue but they have to pay $3-5 to solve environment pollution.
Deputy Minister Tuyen said that people at trade villages are only interested in profit and think that the local authorities are responsible for protecting the environment. The local authorities consider that is the task of the state.
Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Defense and Security, Le Viet Truong, proposed the government to consider responsibility of local administrations in environmental protection, and firstly acknowledge the change “attaching importance to making money, discounting environment.”
Deputy Minister of Finance Chi suggested that the government should choose some seriously polluted areas to solve as examples.
National Assembly’s Vice Chair, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, asked the supervisory group to report the situation, break-through solutions to the National Assembly at the session in October. The National Assembly’s one-day meeting on this matter will be aired live on the national television channel.
According to the Finance Ministry, budget for environment protection rises annually, by 10.9 percent in 2008, 32.6 percent in 2009, 21 percent in 2010 and 22 percent in 2011. Last year 29 provinces and cities cut down their budget for environmental protection.
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