(VEN) - Ho Chi Minh City currently has 15 industrial and export processing zones with more than 1,000 investment projects that are employing more than 250,000 people, bring in total export revenue of about US$16 billion per year and therefore contribute greatly to the city's socioeconomic development. But, industrial and export processing zone development has been causing environmental pollution. City authorities are working hard to control the pollution.
Dao Anh Kiet, the director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that 12 of the 15 industrial and export processing zones in the city have constructed central wastewater treatment plants with a capacity of over 50,000 cubic meters per day. These plants help reduce water source pollution in city-based industrial and export processing zones. But almost 200 of all 1,000 businesses in city-based industrial and export processing zones haven't made their wastewater run to the zones' wastewater gathering systems. In addition, about 170 businesses in the zones have been discovered to discharge untreated toxic gas into the environment.
Vu Van Hoa, the head of the Ho Chi Minh City Industrial and Export Processing Zones Authority (HEPZA), said that HEPZA has made 200 hectares of land in city-based industrial and export processing zones ready for welcoming investors. A target is to improve infrastructure inside and outside industrial and export processing zones, he said. To reach this target, infrastructure development companies in different industrial and export processing zones need to prepare finance for site clearance-related compensation to promptly make project sites ready for investment/construction., Hoa said.
The city told industrial and export processing zones that do not have a central wastewater treatment system to construct and put into use such a system before starting operation, he said. Wastewater treatment continues to be considered important and HEPZA will require businesses to renovate their technology to control pollution, Hoa added. Businesses must make their wastewater run through a central wastewater treatment system, while those businesses that do not have their own wastewater treatment systems shall be closed, he said. Cameras will be installed to oversee wastewater discharge, Hoa said.
HEPZA worked with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology to procure and apply software for evaluation of businesses' technology. This is important to find weaknesses of businesses in industrial and export processing zones. Based on assessment results, businesses make and realize a concrete technology renovation plan.
It is necessary to develop a group of professional, experienced specialists that can assist businesses to establish capital borrowing projects and choose appropriate technology.
Under project 'Production technology renovation for industrial structure transformation in Ho Chi Minh City', the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology provided guidelines for businesses to accomplish procedures to borrow capital from the Ho Chi Minh City Science and Technology Development Fund. This project is giving experimental assistance to businesses in 14 city-based industrial and export processing zones. Apart from assistance for capital approach, businesses have access to assistance in technology and equipment renovation, workforce development, technological information approach, production organization, intellectual property registration, technology transfer and energy efficiency and conservation.
The city clarifies organizations’ and individuals' powers and duties to discover and deal with environmental regulation violations. It will not license industries that pollute the environment./.
By Mai Phuong
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