The Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc responds about the compensation and stability of life, production, business of people in four central provinces: Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue.
The post-treatment wastewater samples of the FHS have reached the environmental engineering standard. Photo: Internet
"Consumers have peace of mind to consume seafood products. The damaged marine ecosystems and aquatic resources have initially recovered." The PM affirmed in a written response to the questions of the deputy of National Assembly - Truong Trong Nghia (HCMC) on the compensation and stability of life, production and business of people in four central provinces after the environmental incidents involving Formosa.
The document said that in general, the situation of social order and security in the four central provinces has been stable. Business and production activities such as fishing and tourism in four provinces have been back to normal, even at some times the number of tourists coming to the four provinces is higher than that of the same period in previous years.
Regarding to the inspection and supervision of Formosa, the PM said that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set up a technical committee to evaluate the results of repairing the damage caused by Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co., Ltd (FHS). The agency also sets up a monitoring team to undertake a commitment of addressing environmental incidents in the four central provinces by the FHS.
The monitoring team has been responsible for regular monitoring and periodic inspections of the FHS for 3 years.
From July 27, 2016, the monitoring team has collaborated with the Institute of Environmental Technology to collect and analyze pre-treatment wastewater samples of the FHS and the post-treatment waste water at the treatment stations before it is discharged into the sea.
The results showed that the post-treatment wastewater samples of the FHS have reached the environmental engineering standard.
Meanwhile, on July 26, 2016, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in collaboration with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology installed two mobile environmental testing stations installed at the industrial wastewater treatment system of the FHS to monitor wastewater before discharging to the sea.
As of May 10, 2017, the FHS has completed the construction of additional waste treatment facilities, monitoring and preventing the environmental incidents. It has also installed a continuous automated monitoring system whose data is monitored and transmitted directly to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ha Tinh province for inspection and supervision.
The Formosa incident occurred in 2016 at a steel mill being developed by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corp. An accidental release of chemicals, including cyanide, phenols and iron hydroxide, eventually polluted more than 200 km (125 miles) of the Vietnamese coast.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a US$100-million loan facility agreement with China Everbright International Limited (CEIL) to help a series of municipal waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in primary and secondary cities in the Mekong Delta.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has proposed stopping Thach Khe iron mine project due to four concerns including investor capacity, environmental impact, a market for iron ore and transportation.
On August 10, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) entered an agreement on the Project for Emergency reservoir operation and effective flood management using water related disaster management information system.
Ha Noi was becoming one of the top cities with air pollution in the country as the concentration of dust reached two - three times higher than the allowable limit on many roads.
The environmental protection tax on plastic bags are expected to increase from VND30,000-50,000 to VND40,000-200,000 per kilo. The new tax rates would help change consumption habits and offer opportunities to biodegradable bag manufacturers.
Vietnam will face grave consequences if it does not take strict action against pollution while striving to achieve the goal of 7% annual economic growth and power sector's 11% annual growth.
