Long An takes heed to develop economy along with environment protection

Waste treatment systems operate with automatic water samplers transmitting data to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

When it comes to economic growth these days, people often point out that it must be sustainable or "green growth”, environmental protection as a priority stem from affluence. Accordingly, all sectors and agencies join hands to protect environment especially in industrial parks and groups of industrial parks.

The province authorities have asked industrial park investors to build waste treatment system as per standards. Some secondary enterprises are allowed to build their own waste treatment plants under the park management boards’ observation.

Dong Tam Company, investor of Thuan Dao industrial park in districts Ben Luc and Can Duoc, strictly follow regulations. The industrial park has three waste discharges into Chanh - Tri Yen canal with capacity of 700 cubic meter a day and two other waste treatment systems for Ching Luh and Huafu with the capacity of 3,700 and 6,000 cubic meters a day respectively.

Above-mentioned waste treatment systems operate with automatic water samplers transmitting data to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Apart from which, Huafu has two automatic water monitoring stations; one is placed in Hufa’s plant which directly transmits information of waste to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the other installed by Dong Tam Company outside in Thuan Dao Industrial park to increase supervision on discharges from Huafa’s plant.

Moreover, investors of the industrial park also has installed a water sampler so as to test the park’s waste discharges. Around 200 kilogram of hazardous and industrial wastes annually as per 2017’s data and 15 tons of waste from daily activities a month are collected to the province’s landfills and treated properly as per regulation. Waste is divided into different baskets and has its own code  before collection.

Thuan Dao Industrial Park must send report of discharge treatment and waste treatment to the Department of Environment and Natural Resource every three months and six months. “The park’s motto is that sustainable development must go along with environment protection; therefore, the park liaises with relevant agencies to perform the mission well, said Director of Thuan Dao park  - Nguyen Mon.

Kien Thanh group of industrial parks in Can Duoc District is one of parks strictly following environment protection. Director of Kien Thanh Company cum investor of the group of park Chau Van Phe said the company always takes heed to environment protection with economic development.

There are seven enterprises in the group. Industrial park group has a discharge treatment system with capacity of 250 cubic meter a day. As per contract, the monitoring center of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource will take samples for testing quarterly.

Not only main investors pay attention to environment protection but also secondary investors in industrial parks and groups of industrial parks are willing to implement measures to protect environment.

For instance, foreign-invested Simone Vietnam in Long Hau Industrial Park in Can Giuoc District is appraised for its high awareness of environment protection. Set up in 2009, the company produces around eight million products annually but it closely works with the park management board in protecting environment.

The company has also provided training to employees how to classify waste and its discharge treatment system with capacity of 550 cubic meter a day.

Simone Vietnam Company Director Matt Kim said the company targets to foster harmony between developing production with environment protection. Accordingly, the company has applied advanced technologies in production avoiding making harm to environment by selecting environmentally friendly chemicals. Besides, the company plants trees in its premises and takes part in environment protection activities in the province.

Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource Phan Nhan Duy said that the province’s point of view is to develop economy along with environment protection. For years, the government always has included environment protection in development strategies and plans.

Thanks to its full attention, there have been positive changes in environment protection mission. Projects are implemented in accordance with district zoning and meet environmental requirements.

Provincial People’s Committee has decided to adopt measures of environment protection.

Following, the province authorities restrict approval on project outside industrial parks and groups of industrial parks except commercial and service projects.

Administrators put aside project using backward technologies highly causing harm to environment as well as remove polluting factories out of residential blocks and encourage community residents to take part in environmental protection and collect garbage.

To carry out task assigned by People’s Committee, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources enhances information to improve locals’ awareness of the issue and change their bad habit. The local government also tightens control on discharge of factories especially these in industrial parks with large volume of industrial wastewater discharged daily in groups of industrial parks and aquatic processing, dying factories outside the parks and plants discharged into Vam Co river branches.

Along with this, the Department carries out measures to adapt with climate change in the field of agriculture, transportation, construction investment, completing automatic monitoring system to measure components of underground water, air, land quality so as to warn pollution hazards.

Moreover, synchronous measures including sanctions are implemented to deter people from committee environment regulations and control pollution level. Harsh punishments are issued to violators in the field of environment protection and in investment. The authority is resolute to put aside project utilizing backward technologies, posing a high risk of environmental pollution and removing illegal factories which create pollution out of  residential area, said director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Phan Nhan Duy.

By Thanh My - Translated by Uyen Phuong