Environmental protection in production and daily life

Chieng An Ward held a meeting to discuss environmental protection solutions for the 2025-2026 coffee crop year.

Chieng An Ward currently has about 1,600 hectares of coffee, with an estimated output of over 16,000 tons in 2025. This is an important source of livelihood, contributing to stabilizing people's income. Besides economic benefits, pollution from manual coffee processing and domestic wastewater is posing a big challenge. In previous years, households in neighboring communes and wards still processed coffee at home, discharged wastewater into Hoc stream, flowing through Muoi Noi commune, Chieng Coi and Chieng An wards, then pouring into Tham Tat Tong cave, the main water supply source for the city's No. 1 Water Supply Plant, which still occurred, causing the Plant to temporarily stop operating, affecting the lives of thousands of households in the central wards.

Because Tham Tat Tong Cave is located in the ward's management area, right from the beginning of the coffee production season, the People's Committee of Chieng An ward organized a meeting with specialized agencies, authorities of neighboring communes, Son La Water Supply Joint Stock Company and representatives of the community. The parties agreed to deploy synchronous measures, both controlling waste sources from coffee production and raising people's awareness of environmental protection. The ward also organized an environmental cleaning campaign, associated with the criteria of civilized urban areas and new rural areas; the ward police were assigned to strictly handle illegal discharges, while the groups and villages included environmental sanitation in the competition criteria, turning this responsibility into a common obligation of the community.

Chieng An ward leaders inspected the water source area.

Localities also coordinate to implement activities to inspect and monitor waste streams, organize training on safe production techniques, and guide people to collect and treat waste according to regulations. Periodic environmental sanitation movements and commitments to not discharge waste into streams are widely launched, aiming to create regular actions that have a widespread impact in the community.

Along with the efforts of Chieng An ward and neighboring communes, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has also implemented many key solutions, such as: Strengthening propaganda and dissemination of environmental protection laws with diverse content and forms, aiming to raise awareness and consciousness of organizations, individuals and communities. At the same time, advising the Provincial People's Committee to consolidate and perfect the state management apparatus on handling administrative violations, ensuring adequate staff and conditions for performing tasks; improving management capacity and staff working in environmental protection, especially at the commune level.

Chieng An Ward launched an environmental cleanup campaign.

In addition, promoting the application of information technology, building a unified environmental database, connecting departments and branches. Strengthening inspection and examination, focusing on production facilities with high risk of pollution, along with strictly handling illegal discharges, creates a comprehensive monitoring mechanism, effectively supporting local pollution control measures.

Protecting the environment, especially domestic water sources, is not only the responsibility of the government but also of every household, business and community. When environmental awareness becomes a habit, pollution control from coffee production will be more effective, water sources will be guaranteed to be safe and people's lives will be improved.