VietNamNet Bridge – Of the 2,900 units inspected in 2013 by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE), 40 percent was found as violating the environment laws. But they only bore administrative sanctions.

Da Nang last on the name list

A MONRE’s report showed that 3,109 units and individuals were the subjects of 809 environment inspection tours in 2013.

Of these, MONRE was in charge of inspecting 683 units in 11 provinces and cities. Meanwhile, the local environment departments conducted 787 inspection tours to 2,426 organizations and individuals.

Most of the inspections were made at production workshops or in the industrial zones in the localities with high economic growth rates.

The inspections found the environment law violations committed by 1,160 organizations and individuals, or 40 percent of the inspected units.

Da Nang, the city in the central region, which was voted as the locality most worth living in, turned out to top the list of the localities that did not obey the environment regulations.

Here in the city, 44 out of the 53 inspected units, or 83 percent, were found as violating the environment laws.

The other “leading” cities and provinces include Dak Lak (63 percent), Tien Giang (49 percent), Khanh Hoa (45 percent), Binh Duong – the new industrial province (42 percent) and HCM City (40 percent).

At least 42 cities and provinces have hundreds of organizations and individuals that did not fulfill their promises on the environment protection. The violations on hazardous waste management were found in 15 localities.

The discharge of substandard waste to the environment was discovered in 27 localities. Meanwhile, 14 localities did not submit the reports on possible environmental impacts and did not undertake to protect the environment.

The report has shown an enigmatic thing that none of the thousands of organizations violating the environment laws has seen their operation licenses revoked as stipulated by the laws. They only had to pay fines for the violations to keep their operation.

People told to leave to avoid pollution

Local people in the pollution stricken areas could only lodge complaints to the local authorities and ask for help. However, in most cases, they could not receive the support.

The cassava starch processing plant in Ninh Thuan province has been “poisoning” the Tan My – Ninh Son area for the last many years. However, it only “got a slap on the wrist” and continues operating to discharge waste to the environment. The provincial authorities have turned their deaf ears to the people’s complaints.

The tobacco factory of Khatoco in Nha Trang City has been polluting the environment where hundreds of households live. However, instead of asking the factory to upgrade its waste treatment system to settle the problem, the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities have told people to leave the area to avoid pollution.

The same situation is occurring in the northern province of Lao Cai, where thousands of households are suffering from the smoke, dust and waste from Tang Loong Industrial Zone.

Dao Duy Nhat, Deputy Head of the Lao Cai provincial Industrial Zone Management Board said it is necessary to relocate 1,000 households from the affected area, but the local authorities don’t have money to do this.

Compiled by Kim Chi