VietNamNet Bridge - Experts believe that environmental problems exist in nearly all coastal industrial zones (IZs), not just in Vung Ang IZ, where a serious environmental incident occurred two months ago, causing mass fish deaths in four central provinces.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), there are 16 coastal economic zones (EZs) throughout the country with total land and water surface area of 800,000 hectares.

In the case of Vung Ang, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tran Hong Ha admitted that there were loopholes in environmental management. 

“We cannot anticipate how big the waste water volume the steel complex would discharge and we cannot set up standards for management,” Ha said.

Experts believe that environmental problems exist in nearly all coastal industrial zones (IZs), not just in Vung Ang IZ, where a serious environmental incident occurred two months ago, causing mass fish deaths in four central provinces.

“The management over waste discharge was unreasonable as we could not anticipate waste sources from Formosa Ha Tinh,” he said. “There are legal loopholes."

There are two national standards which could be applied to manage waste discharge from Formosa Ha Tinh – Standard 40 for industrial waste water and Standard 52 for industrial water in the steel industry. The former comprises many indicators, while the latter, with fewer indicators, sets lower requirements.

According to Ha, in Formosa Ha Tinh, both the standards must be applied.

In fact, experts said, environmental problems exist not only in Vung Ang, but in nearly all coastal EZs.

Dung Quat EZ in Quang Ngai province and Nghi Son in Thanh Hoa, for example, have been found as having the oil & lubricant pollution index 4-6 times higher than the permitted level.

Nguyen Chu Hoi, former deputy general director of the General Directorate of Sea and Islands, has urged thorough consideration of some industrial production projects in coastal areas which are under construction, such as Dinh Vu – Cat Hai in Hai Phong City, and Phu Quoc in Kien Giang, or it will be too late. 

The Lach Huyen Port in Dinh Vu – Cat Hai EZ, which is expected to become a modern international port, for example, is located in an area with many natural reserves, including Lan Ha Bay and Long Chau Islands. If environmental problems occur, this will seriously affect the heritage areas.

Hoi believes that it is necessary to set higher requirements on environmental protection, adding that coastal IZs still have not been filled up, which means that Vietnam still can adjust the requirements.

“It is necessary to have the habit of saying ‘no’ to investment projects registered by blacklisted enterprises or projects which show latent risks,” he said.

Hoi said that all the treated waste water from IZs must lead to reservoirs outside IZs before it is brought to the sea. 

Thien Nhien