Urgent solutions to handle water pollution in river basins

Kinhtedothi - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has just signed Directive No. 2/CT-TTg dated January 24, 2025 of the Prime Minister on urgent solutions to strengthen the control and treatment of water pollution in a number of river basins.

The Prime Minister requested relevant authorities and localities to implement solutions to thoroughly handle sources of waste polluting the Cau River basin.

Specifically, the Prime Minister requested the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities in river basins to urgently compile statistics and classify waste sources in the area that impact water quality in river basins, make a list (by type and scale of discharge) for strict control, and send the list of waste sources to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for synthesis before December 31, 2025.

Organize the implementation of inspection, examination and timely and strict handling of violations of environmental protection laws, and submit a report on the implementation results in 2024 to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment before June 30, 2025 for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister.

Develop plans and organize the implementation of provincial-level planning approved by the Prime Minister, synchronously invest in environmental protection infrastructure for urban areas, concentrated residential areas, craft villages, and industrial clusters; arrange land funds and implement investment procedures, upgrade environmental protection infrastructure according to approved planning; issue unit prices for wastewater treatment services; invest funds, complete on schedule approved projects and tasks of environmental protection in river basins. The target is that by December 31, 2025, 92% of industrial parks and 60% of industrial clusters in the area will have centralized wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure operating in accordance with environmental technical standards; 100% of craft villages that generate production wastewater will have centralized wastewater collection and treatment plans, 50% of wastewater from craft villages will be collected and treated; 30% of urban domestic wastewater (NTSH) is collected and treated; 40% of rural NTSH is treated by appropriate centralized or decentralized measures.

Organize specialized inspections and examinations on compliance with environmental protection laws for facilities licensed by the Ministry of Environment.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries, branches and localities to compile a list of waste sources with a wastewater discharge volume of 200 ^m3 /day and night or more into river basins that need to be strictly controlled, and report to the Prime Minister before June 30, 2025; guide, inspect and urge localities to implement measures to control large waste sources that pollute river basins.

Organize specialized inspections and examinations on compliance with environmental protection laws for facilities licensed by the Ministry of Environment and handle violations according to regulations; summarize the results of inspections and examinations on river basins and report to the Prime Minister before June 30, 2025.

Review the network of monitoring points, add monitoring points and stations (including automatic and continuous ones) at particularly polluted locations; in case of low water levels and poor flow, promptly notify relevant agencies and units to regulate water replenishment activities and create sources to increase the river's self-cleaning ability...

Review wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure in all urban areas from type V and above

The Ministry of Construction shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and localities in river basins to review wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure in all urban areas from type V and above, propose plans and solutions to promote investment projects in building centralized wastewater collection and treatment plants, review unit prices and norms, propose financial mechanisms for wastewater collection and treatment services to attract businesses to invest in and operate wastewater treatment systems, and report to the Prime Minister before June 30, 2025.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall direct the assessment of the level of impact from agricultural production activities on the water environment in the above river basins, report to the Prime Minister for the first time before June 30, 2025 and update information annually; propose solutions for the circulation and rational use of water resources (including wastewater) in agricultural production activities. Direct the completion and implementation of regulations on receiving information to operate the process of regulating and replenishing water (through a system of pumping stations and field pumping stations) for flows (especially in the dry season) in the river basins; direct the development and adjustment of the operating process of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system, including adding requirements for maintaining a continuous minimum flow in the system, to be completed before June 30, 2025.

Strictly handle violations of environmental protection laws.

The Ministry of Public Security shall organize investigation activities, detect and strictly handle violations of environmental protection laws regarding the discharge of wastewater and solid waste causing water pollution in the above river basins; closely coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to strictly handle and publicize some typical cases of deliberate procrastination and non-compliance with environmental protection laws, creating a deterrent effect in the business community; consider criminal handling of acts of intentional discharge causing serious environmental pollution.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, within their authority, shall review current mechanisms and policies on attracting investment and socializing activities in the environmental sector, including attracting investment and socializing investment in centralized and decentralized waste collection and treatment systems; promptly propose amendments, supplements, and new issuances to suit practical requirements; report to the Prime Minister before June 30, 2025; propose allocating resources from the state budget and other investment sources (national target program sources, official development assistance (ODA) project sources, etc.) to prioritize the construction of centralized waste collection and treatment infrastructure in urban areas of type V or higher in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Public Investment.

The Ministry of Finance studies and reviews environmental protection fees for wastewater to enhance the responsibility of polluters, creating revenue for the state budget to be used for activities to remedy pollution in river basins according to the provisions of the law on the state budget.

Task groups and specific solutions for some river basins

The Prime Minister's Directive also sets out specific tasks and solutions for a number of river basins.

Specifically, for the Cau River basin , the Prime Minister requested the People's Committees of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Hai Duong provinces and Hanoi City to urgently direct and implement solutions to thoroughly handle waste sources causing pollution in the river basin, focusing on thoroughly handling the pollution of Ngu Huyen Khe River in their provinces, including: (i) Completing the collection system to operate the Phong Khe craft village wastewater treatment plant, to be completed before December 31, 2025; (ii) Operating the centralized wastewater treatment system of Phu Lam industrial cluster before March 31, 2025; connecting, collecting and treating wastewater of Phong Khe 1, 2 industrial clusters, to be completed before December 31, 2025; (iii) Compel households, production, business and service establishments operating in Phong Khe, Chau Khe, Huong Mac, Phu Khe, Dong Quang craft villages and Phu Lam and Phong Khe 2 industrial clusters to connect to the centralized wastewater treatment system according to regulations; or invest in a wastewater treatment system or relocate to an industrial park or industrial cluster with full technical infrastructure for environmental protection; (iv) Handle illegal solid waste collection points along Ngu Huyen Khe River; (v) Organize inspections, checks and strictly handle violations according to the provisions of law on environmental protection and water resources in Phong Khe craft village and Phu Lam industrial cluster; (vi) Consider temporarily not granting new investment licenses or allowing expansion of production scale for establishments with discharge sources into Ngu Huyen Khe River; (vii) Develop an implementation plan so that by 2025, currently operating facilities discharging wastewater into Ngu Huyen Khe River will have a wastewater treatment plan that meets technical standards on surface water quality or have a plan to recycle and reuse, not generating wastewater.

Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee shall develop a roadmap and implement measures to completely remedy the pollution situation at the Bong Toi bridge, complete and report to the Prime Minister before December 31, 2025.

For the Nhue - Day river basin, the Hanoi People's Committee focuses on building and implementing projects to collect and treat wastewater; renovate and restore the water environment, dredge and clear the flow of heavily polluted inner-city river sections (To Lich, Nhue, Lu, Set, Kim Nguu); adjust the operation process of Thanh Liet sluice and Yen So pumping station; speed up the construction of Lien Mac pumping station, to be completed before December 31, 2025; speed up the construction of Yen Xa wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 270,000 ^m3 /day and night, to be officially put into operation before June 30, 2025; review and adjust the operation process of Dong Quan dam, to be completed before June 30, 2025.

The People's Committee of Ha Nam province completes the drainage and wastewater collection and treatment system in urban areas and concentrated residential areas; effectively operates the wastewater treatment plants that have been invested in and built; completely handles households that produce wastewater from bleaching and dyeing in Nha Xa craft village; reviews and adjusts the operating procedures of Nhat Tuu and Hoanh Uyen bridge pumping stations, to be completed before June 30, 2025; organizes the construction and implementation of environmental restoration projects, and dredging the flow to solve the water pollution of Chau Giang river, to be completed before December 31, 2025; implements solutions to transfer domestic water supply sources for the province's water supply plants from alternative clean water sources (Red River).

The People's Committee of Hoa Binh province directed to complete the handling of environmental pollution at solid waste treatment and landfill areas for Hoa Binh city and neighboring districts.

For the Dong Nai River basin , the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee builds and operates drainage and wastewater treatment projects and water environment improvement and restoration projects, dredging the flow of rivers flowing through urban areas, especially the pollution hotspot on the Saigon River (from the Thi Tinh River mouth downstream), to be completed before December 31, 2025; coordinate with the Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee to completely resolve the pollution situation at the border line on Ba Bo Canal, Suoi Cai area (Suoi Nhum - Suoi Xuan Truong - Suoi Cai), to be completed before December 31, 2025.

For the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system , the Ministries and People's Committees of 04 provinces and cities in the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system strictly implement the requirements and directions in Notice No. 315/TB-VPCP dated August 9, 2023 of the Government Office announcing the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at the Conference on environmental pollution treatment of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system, periodically synthesize information and send it to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development directs the organization to invest in the construction and effective operation of Xuan Quan pumping station, to be completed before June 30, 2025, and to widely announce the operation plan of field pumping stations to supplement water so that agencies, organizations and individuals in the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system know and regulate water use.

The People's Committees of 04 provinces and cities direct the implementation of dredging, cleaning, clearing flows, upgrading and repairing the dyke system, culverts, pumping stations and irrigation works in the area, to be completed before December 31, 2025; implement strict control measures to minimize scattered waste sources from daily life and agricultural activities that are directly discharged into water sources.

Hanoi City People's Committee: (i) Invest in building technical infrastructure to collect and treat wastewater from urban areas, concentrated residential areas and scattered residential clusters in rural areas, especially from Long Bien district and Gia Lam district, discharged into Cau Bay river area; organize the implementation of the project to invest in the construction of works to renovate and upgrade Cau Bay river, ensuring completion in 2025; (ii) Invest in building 03 wastewater treatment plants in Long Bien district (Phuc Dong, An Lac and Yen Vien wastewater treatment plants) to solve the pollution of Cau Bay river, operate the centralized wastewater treatment system in Viet Hung urban area, Long Bien; (iii) Maintain and effectively operate the automatic continuous surface water environmental monitoring station on Cau Bay river at Am pumping station, Ngoc Dong village, Da Ton commune, Gia Lam district.

Hai Duong Provincial People's Committee directed to accelerate the construction of a pipeline to collect and separate urban wastewater to a centralized wastewater treatment plant, to be completed before June 30, 2025; control water quality and treat waste sources that pollute water sources in the Sat, Cuu An, Cay Luong rivers and T1 and T2 canals.

The People's Committee of Hung Yen province directed the drastic implementation of the Project on collecting and treating wastewater to reduce pollution and improve the water environment quality of the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system in the province; control the water quality of the Ban Vu Xa and Dinh Du river branches and the Tran Thanh Ngo canal.

The People's Committee of Bac Ninh province directed the control of water quality in the branches of Dong Coi, Dong Khoi, Dai Quang Binh, Ngu, Dau and Bui rivers.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/cac-giai-phap-cap-bach-xu-ly-o-nhiem-moi-truong-nuoc-o-luu-vuc-song.html