Prime Minister requests to find ways to manage air quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

(Dan Tri) - The project to prevent subsidence, landslides, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta region as well as to overcome pollution and manage air quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City has just received comments from the Government Standing Committee.

On the afternoon of December 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Government Party Committee Standing Committee and the Government Standing Committee, giving opinions on the Project to prevent subsidence, landslides, flooding, drought, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta; and a draft report to the Politburo on the results of handling a number of outstanding issues (the Ho Chi Minh City flood prevention project and other projects related to environmental protection and climate change).

The Ho Chi Minh City flood control project is one of the long-standing projects and the Government has issued Resolution No. 212 to remove difficulties and obstacles. The project is currently being actively implemented, without major obstacles requiring the Politburo's opinion.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: Doan Bac).

Along with that, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has reviewed and synthesized other projects related to the environment and climate change. The Prime Minister also approved the National Action Plan on overcoming pollution and managing air quality for the period 2026-2030, with a vision to 2045.

Noting that agencies complete the content of the Report on the flood prevention project of Ho Chi Minh City, the Prime Minister said that there should be general direction nationwide and research to implement projects to overcome pollution and manage air quality in key localities, first of all in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Along with that, according to the Government leader, it is necessary to review this content. If there are mechanisms and policies, they should be implemented according to authority. If there are other mechanisms and policies that are not yet regulated by law, they should be proposed to the Politburo.

Regarding the Project on preventing and combating subsidence, landslides, inundation, drought, and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, the Prime Minister emphasized that this is the most fertile delta region of the country but is facing many very big problems such as land subsidence, riverbank and coastal landslides, inundation, drought, and saltwater intrusion.

This is a very important issue, related to the livelihoods and lives of people in the Mekong Delta, which accounts for 12.8% of the country's area, nearly 18% of the country's population, contributes 95% of rice exports, 60% of seafood, and 65% of fruit exports of the country.

The orientation for developing the Project, according to the Prime Minister, is to have "natural" solutions, flexible and effective adaptation to climate change, and at the same time have more comprehensive, holistic and fundamental solutions to the problems of land subsidence, riverbank and coastal erosion, flooding, drought and saltwater intrusion.

In particular, the Government leader requested to review, develop, amend and supplement mechanisms and policies to have resources to carry out tasks and solutions.

In particular, he noted mobilizing the participation of people, businesses, and non-budgetary resources to implement projects in the spirit of harmonizing interests between the State, people, and businesses, such as public-private partnership, BT, BOT, loans, etc., in which mobilizing non-state resources accounts for at least 35%.

Meeting of the Government Standing Committee on the afternoon of December 5 (Photo: Doan Bac).

The Prime Minister noted a number of additional solutions such as implementing programs and projects on science and technology; reorganizing the population, planting and protecting mangrove forests and coastal protection forests; adjusting and converting production to limit the lowering of water levels on canals and groundwater in freshwater areas, thereby overcoming subsidence; researching to have a roadmap to reduce groundwater exploitation...

According to the Prime Minister, the problems facing the Mekong Delta are all very big issues that need to be prioritized and require the participation of ministries and branches, especially directly related ministries such as the Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology, etc.

The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to continue directing the Party Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to complete the project, the Ministry of Finance to give opinions and review, balance and ensure financial resources, State budget resources and methods of resource mobilization to implement the goals, tasks and solutions of the Project after the Conclusion of the Politburo is available.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/thu-tuong-yeu-cau-tim-cach-quan-ly-chat-luong-khong-khi-tai-ha-noi-tphcm-20251205183040602.htm