Improve the effectiveness of monitoring and assessing environmental quality

Reporting on the work results for the first 10 months of 2023, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Director of the Center said: Since the beginning of the year, the Center has developed a specific plan, clearly assigned people and tasks, synchronously deployed tasks, strived to complete the work program according to the set plan, and improved the material and spiritual life of officials and employees.

To date, the Center has completed 5/6 provincial environmental monitoring sessions in 2023, with 50 air environment monitoring locations; 49 surface water environment locations, frequency of 6 sessions; 13 groundwater environment locations, frequency of 4 sessions; 5 bottom sediment environment locations and 19 soil environment locations, frequency of 2 sessions/year.

Participate in 17 inspection and examination teams at the request of competent authorities in the field of environmental quality monitoring and analysis; promptly provide monitoring results for inspection and examination teams to review and promptly handle violators.

Maintain inspection, supervision, and acceptance of the management and operation of the city's solid waste treatment plant. Promote the implementation of consulting activities, monitoring services, consulting services for the preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment Reports (EIA), Environmental Licenses, Water Resource Exploitation Licenses, etc.

In addition to the achieved results, currently, some parameters have not been implemented such as PM10 dust, pesticides, sludge, bottom sediment, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio cholerae... must depend on subcontractors, affecting the progress of task implementation, especially the implementation of PM10 dust under the Provincial Environmental Monitoring Program.

Many old and outdated equipments make monitoring and analysis ineffective. Some equipments are still lacking and cannot be used to develop new indicators. Specialized means of transport for sampling and preservation are not available, causing difficulties in the process of transporting equipment, machinery, chemicals and tools for sampling.

a1(2).jpg — Leaders of the Center for Natural Resources and Environment Monitoring report on work results for the first 10 months of 2023.

In the last months of 2023, the Center will strive to complete the 2023 Provincial Environmental Quality Monitoring Program to ensure progress and honestly reflect the province's environmental quality.

Implement monitoring of locations at risk of pollution during the 2023-2024 agricultural processing and primary processing season (cassava, coffee, galangal, sugarcane); monitor environmental quality changes in areas at risk of pollution from agricultural processing activities, contributing to improving the effectiveness of pollution prevention.

Develop labor environment monitoring; indicators on plant protection chemicals; indicators on solid waste and sludge. Invest in wastewater and laboratory exhaust treatment systems; specialized vehicles for transporting samples and equipment.

The Center recommends that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment propose that the Provincial People's Committee continue to restart the Project to enhance environmental monitoring capacity; at the same time, install a number of automatic air monitoring stations in a number of districts and cities to monitor air environment developments, especially PM10 and PM2.5 dust.

a2(1).jpg — Leaders of specialized departments under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment inform about the coordination of environmental monitoring implementation.

At the meeting, leaders of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment's specialized departments and divisions quickly informed about the coordination of environmental monitoring and assessment tasks with the Monitoring Center. They proposed that the unit should have more specific and long-term solutions, and pay attention to improving the quality of the staff and workers who provide consultancy on environmental records and procedures.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Phung Kim Son - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment acknowledged and highly appreciated the very frank, open and enthusiastic exchanges of opinions at the meeting.

In the coming time, the Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requested the Center for Natural Resources and Environment Monitoring to fully absorb the opinions at the meeting. Continue to clarify a number of issues related to the progress and development strategy of the unit. Develop plans and solutions to improve the quality of the laboratory.

Urgently develop the unit's employment project; training roadmap, coaching, capacity building for staff and workers performing environmental monitoring and consulting tasks. Develop a project to report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment's leaders to enhance the capacity of dust, gas emissions, and bottom sediment monitoring to serve the work of inspection, examination, and verification of pollution, and to carry out environmental monitoring in the province.

Further strengthen the coordination between specialized departments under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Monitoring Center, especially the Environmental Management Department. Promote research on environmental science and technology applications to clearly identify environmental issues in the current period.

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