Air pollution in big cities is a serious challenge.

Besides the achievements, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were at one point among the most polluted cities in the world. There are still 38/435 establishments causing serious environmental pollution that have not been thoroughly treated...

Secretary General of the National Assembly - Head of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Manh presented the report of the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection, on the morning of October 28. Photo: VIET CHUNG

On the morning of October 28, continuing the 10th session, the National Assembly listened to a representative of the National Assembly's Supervisory Delegation present a report on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect and discussed this issue in the hall.

3/5 targets have exceeded the plan set for 2025

Presenting a monitoring report on the implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 came into effect, Secretary General of the National Assembly - Head of the Office of the National Assembly Le Quang Manh acknowledged that the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 is an institutional breakthrough, transforming thinking from "pollution management" to "sustainable development management", laying the legal foundation for circular economy , green finance and carbon market.

The Government, the Prime Minister , ministries, branches and localities have issued more than 500 documents guiding the implementation of the law. Major policies have been institutionalized, thoroughly implementing the principle that the environment is one of the three pillars of sustainable development ("economy - society - environment"), and strongly shifting to an environmental management mechanism using economic instruments with the participation of the whole society.

Thanks to that, environmental protection work has had many changes, achieving and surpassing many important goals set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. Vietnam has 3/5 targets that have exceeded the plan set for 2025, including: the rate of collection and treatment of urban solid waste, the rate of industrial parks with centralized wastewater treatment systems, and the rate of forest coverage. Major sources of waste have been actively and strictly controlled, preventing major environmental incidents.

The state budget for environmental causes is guaranteed to be no less than 1% of the total state budget expenditure and will increase over the years (1.12% in 2024). The rate of increase in pollution and environmental degradation has been prevented, and environmental quality has gradually improved. The collection and treatment rate of domestic solid waste has increased (reaching 97.26% in urban areas and 80.5% in rural areas by the end of 2024), reducing the form of landfill. Recycling, reuse, and utilization of resource value from waste are enhanced through forms such as co-processing in cement kilns, etc.

View of Dien Hong hall, morning of October 28. Photo: VIET CHUNG

Environmental pollution is still complicated.

However, the report also pointed out that there are still many problems, especially air pollution (fine dust) in big cities (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were at times among the most polluted cities in the world). There are still 38/435 facilities causing serious environmental pollution that have not been thoroughly treated (the target of the 13th National Congress Resolution is that 100% of facilities must be treated by 2025).

Technical infrastructure for environmental protection, especially in the collection and treatment of domestic solid waste and wastewater, is still backward and does not meet requirements (only about 18% of the total urban wastewater is collected and treated). The promulgation and implementation of new policies on classification, collection, transportation, recycling and treatment of domestic solid waste are not in accordance with the prescribed roadmap and lack synchronous infrastructure.

The reasons, according to the report, are that awareness and sense of responsibility for the importance of environmental protection are inadequate; there is still a mindset of prioritizing economic growth and attracting investment while overlooking environmental protection. The legal system is not yet consistent (such as laws on taxes, fees, and state budget). The promulgation and implementation of new policies on domestic solid waste management have not been on schedule.

Among the tasks and solutions for breakthroughs, urgent and medium/long term, the monitoring delegation proposed to unify the perception of considering environmental spending as investment for development, ensuring environmental security.

Towards that goal, it is necessary to establish a resource pricing mechanism and thoroughly apply the principle of "Those who cause pollution, environmental incidents and degradation must pay, compensate for damages, remedy and handle them". Promote the state management method from pre-control to post-control; reform administrative procedures; strongly decentralize and delegate power to local authorities; perfect and effectively deploy economic instruments such as green bonds and green credit to mobilize private resources. Arrange properly, sufficiently and gradually increase budget expenditure for environmental protection in accordance with the economic growth rate.

MR. PHUONG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/o-nhiem-khong-khi-tai-cac-thanh-pho-lon-la-thach-thuc-nghiem-trong-post820315.html