Concrete measures to deal with the pollution caused by wastewater
discharged from industrial parks in the Mekong Delta were under
discussion at a recent international workshop in Can Tho city.
The
event was co-organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and representatives from
the German AKIZ project.
Participants were warned that the region
is facing a number of adverse environmental impacts caused by
industrial parks’ operations such as polluted air and water.
The
delta is home to 120 industrial parks and aims to have 240 by 2020. They
are reported to discharge an average of 47 million litres of wastewater
and 220,000 tonnes of solid waste every year.
According to the ministry, only 66 percent of the region’s industrial zones are built with waste treatment stations.
Head
of the Southwest Environmental Protection Bureau Pham Dinh Don conceded
the pollution in the industrial zones, saying that as the provinces and
cities failed to follow the region’s master plan on socio-economic
development, the environmental protection work has been ineffective.
To
deal with the problem, the participants suggested focusing on the
industrial parks’ development plans in line with the local sustainable
socio-economic development and environmental protection plans. In
addition, more money should be poured into upgrading industrial park
infrastructure to protect the environment.-VNA