Vietnam’s environmental sector to get stronger legal support

Date: 

 December 17, 2012

Vietnam is changing its legal framework to help the environmental services industry grow, according to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen.

The current legal system was still fragmented and lacked regulations for environmental services providers, Tuyen said while chairing a workshop for environmental regulators and experts in Ho Chi Minh City.

Due to the lack of regulations, the current system of environmental services providers did not meet demand, said Vu Dinh Nam, from the Vietnam Administration of Environment, so the new framework should include incentives to engage the private sector.

Statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reveal that the environmental services industry has great potential to thrive as the capacity to treat urban waste water only meets 10 percent of the demand.

Among the six types of environmental services, participants at the regulators’ workshop focused on the low quality of environmental impact assessments (EIA).

A representative from southern Tien Giang Province's Department of Natural Resources and Environment said even though there were 20 consulting companies that provided EIA services, not a single one was capable of satisfying the department's needs.

"Many EIA reports were done on a wholesale cut-and-paste basis, and they deployed a reactive policy, meaning they would rather fix the EIA when requested rather than come up with an error-free version on the first try," he said.

Source: http://www.cleanbiz.asia/news/vietnam%E2%80%99s-environmental-sector-get-stronger-legal-support?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+all-stories+%28CleanBiz+Asia+-+All+Stories%29#.UNFYiuQz3hc

Battle for the Mekong Heats Up

Laos’s Xayaburi dam project faces opposition throughout the region over its ecological impact.

• Mekong Battle Delayed
• The Battle Over the Mekong
• Murder on the Mekong
• Laos’s Chinese Gamble
• America’s Pacific Air-Sea Battle Vision

The Mekong, a precious jewel of Southeast Asia, has become a critical battleground between hydropower dam projects and the survival of the world’s greatest freshwater fisheries.

The future of this 4,880 km (3032 miles) long river may well be decided by what happens to the Xayaburi mega-dam project in Laos, the first of a cascade of 11 dam projects on the lower Mekong.

Ame Trandem from the NGO International Rivers explained that, “The Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, feeding and employing millions of people. To move forward with the Xayaburi Dam would be reckless and irresponsible, as the dam would fatally impact the river's ecosystem and fisheries.”

In spite of repeated reports that the Xayaburi dam project had been suspended pending further scientific studies, a recent visit to the dam-site has suggested that the Lao government has not bowed to international pressure. As a World Wildlife Fund analysis recently warned, “Construction work is marching ahead at the Xayaburi dam site in northern Laos and risks making a mockery of the decision last December by Mekong countries to delay building the dam on the Mekong mainstream.”

In December 2011 the four-member nations of the Mekong River Commission – Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam –agreed that no dams should be built until further scientific studies of the negative impacts on all the riparian countries had been completed.

Scientists have warned that if the 11 dams are built it could bring on an ecological disaster that harms many of the 877 Mekong fish species. Furthermore, it is the uninhibited flow of the Mekong through the heart of Southeast Asia and the river’s bountiful natural resources that guarantees 65 million people’s food security.

Although Cambodia and Vietnam are determined to stop the dam, everything indicates that the Thai developer Ch. Karnchang and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) are equally determined to build it. In this context, a failure to resolve the dam issue could also trigger a major diplomatic row among the Mekong nations, undermining the credibility of the MRC and disrupting international cooperation along the region’s most important waterway.

“The Xayaburi Dam will trigger an ecological crisis of tremendous proportions. We urge the Prime Ministers of Laos and Thailand to show leadership by cancelling this project,” Shalmali Guttal of Focus on the Global South, a member of the 263 coalition of NGOs from 51 nations said in a statement condemning the damn.

In response to this opposition, Lao Foreign Minister, Thongloun Sisoulithmade announced during last month’s ASEAN FM summit that his country was suspending work on the Xayaburi dam until further studies on its impact could be done. Although opponents of the dam welcomed Vientiane’s announcement, they soon were disappointed.

Soon after the Lao government’s announcements, a number of diplomats, MRC officials, experts, and donors visited Laos to see the site. After the visit some MRC observers then asserted that, “the project is in an advanced preparation stage with exploratory excavation in and around the river completed.”

Similarly, International Rivers concluded in their own unofficial investigation of the dam-site in June, that, “the dredging and widening of river has already taken place.”

Meanwhile back in Bangkok, Ch.Karnchang, the Thai developer of the US$3.8 billion project, said the dam was going ahead with no delays in the original timetable.

Initial construction has evidently started, however. Has the Laotian government then reneged on its international commitments? 

Deputy Minister for Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravonghas denied any violation of the MRC agreements. Instead he contended that all the construction done so far falls under the rubric of “preparatory work,” noting that the construction “does not involve permanent structures” and instead is mostly about building makeshift housing for construction workers.

Source:  August 02, 2012 by Tom Fawthrop

http://thediplomat.com/2012/08/02/battle-for-the-mekong-heats-up/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Laos vows to address Mekong dam fears

Laos has pledged to stall construction of a controversial multi-billion dollar dam on the Mekong river until all its neighbours' environmental concerns have been answered, state media said Friday.

A Laotian fisherman casts his net in the Mekong river in May 2012. Laos has pledged to stall construction of a controversial multi-billion dollar dam on the Mekong river until all its neighbours' environmental concerns have been answered, state media said Friday.

The $3.8 billion hydroelectric project at Xayaburi, led by Thai group CH Karnchang, has sharply divided the four Mekong nations -- Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand -- who rely on the river system for fish and irrigation.

"The Xayaburi project will develop one of the most transparent and modern dams in the world," Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong told state-run Vientiane Times.

He promised that construction would not start until all the concerns of neighboring countries have been resolved.

The minister said changes to the project will address the two major issues -- fish migration and sediment flow -- by including a passage to allow 85 percent of fish to travel along the river and a "flushing system" to prevent sediment build up.

The mooted 1,260 megawatt dam, the first of 11 on the key waterway, has become a symbol of the potential risks of hydropower projects in the region and the Mekong nations have tussled over its varying impact.

Communist Laos, one the most world's under-developed nations, believes the dam will help it become "the battery of Southeast Asia" by selling electricity to its richer neighbours.

Thailand has agreed to buy most of the electricity generated by the project, but Cambodia and Vietnam fear the dam could decimate their farming and fishing industries.

Environmentalists say the dam would be disastrous for the 60 million people who depend on the river for transportation, food and economy.

They fear Mekong fish species will become endangered as vital nutrients are trapped and dozens of species are prevented from swimming upstream to mating grounds.

Campaign group International Rivers said the Thai firm had already "undertaken significant resettlement and construction activities", despite calls from the four-nation Mekong River Commission to halt work until further impact studies have been carried out.

Laos rejects the accusations and has invited neighbouring governments to visit the project site.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/301327/laos-vows-to-address-mekong-dam-fears

Laos protests innocence as Mekong concerns snowball

Date: 

 July 10, 2012

By: 

 CleanBiz Staff

Tags: 

• Cambodia
• Ch Karnchang
• Eric Baran
• More Tags...

The deputy energy minister of Laos denies his country has ignored agreements with neighboring countries over the building of the controversial USD3.5 billion Xayaburi hydropower dam on the Mekong River.

The project – and others planned for the Mekong and its tributaries – has come under fire from activists, people living along the river and some neighboring countries because of what they saw as an inadequate environmental impact assessment.

Late last month the NGO, International Rivers, published an investigative report saying that Thai construction firm Ch Karnchang Pcl, the main developer of the 1,260 megawatt dam, was continuing with work on the project despite a Laos agreement last December to suspend it.

The deputy minister, Viraphonh Viravong, argues the government had kept its promise, although he admits geological sub-surface surveying was being carried out in the Mekong valley.

"We plan to invite development partners and Mekong River Commission member countries to visit the project site so they can see the actual development for themselves," he told the Vientiane Times daily. "The Xayaburi project will develop one of the most transparent and modern dams in the world."

Another study published in January warned that if 78 hydropower dams scheduled for construction along tributaries of the Mekong River go ahead, they will permanently block critical fish migration routes, with "catastrophic" implications for the world's biggest inland fishery. The authors, writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, noted that their paper was the first strategic analysis of these tributary dams.

Around 60 million people in China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam live along the banks of the Mekong and tributaries and many rely on fish for their livelihoods and food.

The authors made a detailed study of 27 dams where construction is planned between 2015 and 2030, to better understand implications for fish biodiversity, food security and hydropower in the Mekong River Basin. They found that the facilities would stop fish from migrating "between the river's downstream floodplains and upstream tributaries".

Co-author Eric Baran, a scientist at the WorldFish Center in Cambodia, said the lower part of the Mekong basin produces nearly 770,000 tons of fish per year – as much as the combined freshwater catch of Europe and South America.

He said the "ambitious development agendas" of countries in the Mekong region, which include plans for rapid dam construction, could threaten the food security and livelihoods of 70 per cent of the basin's residents.

Xayaburi and other planned projects to dam the mainstream of the Mekong are subject to review by the Mekong River Commission, an advisory body founded by the four lower Mekong countries in 1995 to promote sustainable development along the river.

Plans to dam the Mekong's tributaries, however, are not currently subject to multilateral scruitiny. While most of the planned tributary dams will be built in Laos, the authors of the study say effects on fish biodiversity and availability would also be felt in Cambodia and Vietnam.

In addition, the Lower Se San 2, a controversial dam planned for a tributary in Cambodia, would have "highly detrimental" impacts on fish productivity, and could increase to 85 the number of endangered of fish species in the basin system — up from 9 during the last count in 2000 — and similarly increase the number of critically endangered species to 6, up from 1 in 2000.

Photo Credit: 

 

Nature

 

Source: http://www.cleanbiz.asia/story/laos-protests-innocence-mekong-concerns-snowball?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+all-stories+%28CleanBiz+Asia+-+All+Stories%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Xayaburi study questioned

A road leading to the proposed dam site in Xayaburi province, Laos, was constructed last year. Photograph: Bangkok post

A study the Lao government has used to claim the Xayaburi dam would be harmless if redesigned has been criticised for not addressing concerns about the project’s effect on fish in the Lower Mekong river.

Lao Vice Minister of Energy and Mines Viraponh Viravong was reported as saying last week that a redesigned Xayaburi dam in northern Laos would allow a steady flow of sediment downsteam, thus allaying environmental concerns.

“First, we hired … Poyry to do the impact study, but people were not satisfied with that. And now we have hired a French company,” he told Radio Free Asia. “This study … confirms that if the Lao government wants to let the dam be redesigned, there will be no impact on the environment.”

Viraponh Viravong did not name the study’s French authors, but conservation groups said Laos had commissioned Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR) to review Poyry’s 2011 study.

Marc Goichot, sustainable hydropower manager for WWF-Greater Mekong, said CNR failed to address concerns about potential effects on fish in the Lower Mekong.

“WWF’s understanding is that the scope of the CNR review is limited to hydrology, sediment and navigation impact,” he said. “Questions about fish and fisheries raised in response to the Poyry report have not yet been addressed.”

International Rivers Southeast Asia programme director Ame Trandem said the new report was a “meaningless” attempt to woo fellow Mekong River Commission member countries.

“While Poyry sidestepped sci­­ence on the dam’s fishery impacts, the new CNR review deliberately omits the dam’s fishery impacts,” she said. “Until the transboundary impacts of the project are assessed, Laos has no basis for claiming this dam is sustainable.”

The four MRC member states – Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos – agreed in December that the 1,260-megawatt could not proceed until further studies assessed its potential impact.

Japan last month agreed to help fund a study with MRC’s other development partners.

Thai developer Ch.Karnchang said last month that construction had begun on the dam – the first of 11 along the Lower Mekong – on March 15. Laos agreed early this month to suspend construction.

Viraponh Viravong and CNR could not be reached yesterday.

Monday, 21 May 2012 by Shane Worrell
Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012052156277/National-news/xayaburi-study-questioned.html

Xayaburi Dam Controversy Flares

Back in December, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia had scored high praise for reaching an agreement that essentially postponed construction of the Xayaburi Dam while further studies could be undertaken into the potential damage to fish stocks and food security in the Lower Mekong Basin.

However, there were doubts over the commitment by Laos simply because of the money at stake – about $3.5 billion. Despite the concerns, Vientiane wants to build a total of 11 dams along the Mekong River and establish itself as the “Battery of Southeast Asia” insisting the dams pose no serious risks.

Authorities in Hanoi and Phnom Penh simply don’t believe this while those in Bangkok – who are financially backing the project and are keen to source electricity from the project – are happy not to notice the neighborly complaints.

Quietly, the December agreement was ignored, and construction around the site continued. This included the building of roads, sewage, embankments and facilities needed for workers who would eventually begin the work on the mega-project.

Now it appears that work on the actual dam may have already begun, contradicting the agreement.
In a filing to the Thai Stock Exchange, construction company CH Karnchang said it had finalized the contract with Xayaburi Power Company to build the 1,206-megawatt dam over the next eight years and that construction was due to begin on March 15.

The United States and Vietnamese had called for a 10-year moratorium in dam construction on the Mekong while Australia – a chief financial supporter of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) – backed concerns by Vietnam and Cambodia over the project.

The World Wildlife Fund and International Rivers say the Xayaburi is an environmental disaster in the making that will alter the river’s patterns and impact on fish catches. They want it scrapped, citing damage already caused by Chinese dams.

According to an independent report prepared for the MRC by the International Centre for Environmental Management (ICEM), planned dam construction along the Mekong would be devastating, and it highlighted what many see as the single most important issue for the region – food security. It said if 11 mainstream dams were built, the total loss in fish resources would be 550,000 – 880,000 tons or 26 percent to 42 percent compared to the 2000 baseline – 340,000 tons of that estimate directly due to mainstream dams.

The amount of protein at risk of being lost annually if 11 mainstream dams were built by 2030 represents 110 percent of the current total annual livestock production of Cambodia and Laos.

“The mainstream projects would fundamentally undermine the abundance, productivity and diversity of the Mekong fish resources, affecting the millions of rural people who rely on it for nutrition and livelihoods,” it warned.

Laos has done nothing to reassure its neighbors that it’s serious about looking after the downstream livelihoods of the 60 million people who depend on the Mekong River. Instead, it appears to be paying only lip service to the greater concerns about the dam’s construction.

All the parties left last December’s meeting convinced there would be no more construction until independent studies were complete and no doubt those same parties will now be seeking a clarification from Laos on the status of the project.

Whether Laos, which is ranked near the bottom of the heap at 154 on Transparency International’s corruption index alongside Cambodia and Vietnam, will respond honestly appears unlikely. Whether its neighbors will believe what is has to say appears even less likely.

Image credit: Jack Zalium           

Source: http://the-diplomat.com/asean-beat/2012/04/20/xayaburi-dam-controversy-flares/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Recluses and reforms in Southeast Asia

When referring to mainland Southeast Asian states such as Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, journalists and scholars have often made claims about a state’s comparable reclusiveness. For example, we often hear that such-and-such a state or regime is ‘the most reclusive’ or ‘the most closed’.

Can these really be useful or valid statements?

Making claims about comparative political space may not be so easy, especially nowadays when change is occurring so obviously and rapidly, and free communication (not to mention economic integration) is a reality in most parts of the region.

In Myanmar and Vietnam change is apparently (I say ‘apparently’ to acknowledge the important arguments of Bertil Lintner) afoot. New Mandalahas provided extensive coverage of the rapid changes and increasing openness occurring in Myanmar, while for Vietnam-watchers, there has been comparatively more political change occurring there than many have noticed. This is not to say that the government in Hanoi is becoming transparent and open, but more that there has been gravitation towards reform, and thus, a change in political opportunities for citizens.

In Cambodia, too, there has gradually been an increase in political space for citizens. The government of Hun Sen is even somewhat open to being criticised in the print media, though, of course, this does not mean the government is unable to prevent criticism. For instance, the editor of one paper, Samleng Yuvachun, contentiously began working for the Cambodian People’s Party after criticising the party in the lead up to the 2008 elections. Media such as this clipof Doung Kea, an aggrieved sufferer of forced relocation in Phnom Penh, are also able to surface readily.

Even with heavy censorship, we are often able to ascertain an opposing view. I am sure we could find out if there were any consequences for Doung Kea’s vehement outrage. The ability to do so indicates that there is an openness which belies the need for labeling an entire state closed or reclusive.

*********

Not even Laos, perhaps now the most likely candidate for the ‘most closed/reclusive state’ tagline these days is exempt from Internet engendered reform. Though there have been some market-oriented reforms, perhaps, as per usual, occurring in line with those across the border in Vietnam, the Lao government in 2012 remains ‘closed off’. Nonetheless, its longstanding veil of secrecy is also beginning to fray.

A recent leak of the proceedings from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights conference held at the ministerial meeting in Siem Reap earlier this year makes for intriguing reading. The commentary from Laos (and other states) in the proceedings is perhaps not all that revelatory to those habitually peering at these matters, but it is interesting to see the official Lao position on human rights revealed explicitly in the media:

Commenting on the duties and responsibilities of the Asean member States, Laos said the “realization of universal human rights” must be in the context of “regional and national particularities” such as political, economic, social, cultural, historical and religious backgrounds. Laos’ position is contrary to the more expansive wording drafted by the Asean Secretariat that “…it is the duty of member states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”Laos is also proposing the inclusion of a “national security” and “public morality” trigger to override claims to universal human rights and freedoms, perhaps fearful of an erosion of national security and moral principles. “The exclusive insistence on rights can result in conflict, division, and endless dispute and can lead to lawlessness and chaos,” Laos said.

Another recent report from the international non-government organisation International Rivers reveals that, with Thai Banks acting as enablers, construction on the increasingly infamous Xayaburi hydropower project is continuing despite the fact that the governments of the Mekong River Commission not yet deciding whether to proceed with construction after a moratorium last year. Perhaps those in charge of making this decision have already seen the projected impact analysis before anyone else and have concluded that there would be no projected ‘conflict, division, and endless dispute’, ‘lawlessness and chaos’ leading to further human rights abuses in all four Mekong River Commission states, and have thus decided to continue with construction.

Source: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/03/15/recluses-and-reforms-in-southeast-asia/

Mekong river power plants "catastrophic" to fish

WASHINGTON: Plans to build hydropower plants along Southeast Asia's longest river could have devastating effects on the world's largest inland fishery and should be reconsidered, scientists said on Monday.

Plenty of attention has focused on plans to develop dams along the main stem of the 4,600-kilometre Mekong River which passes through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

But the international study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined the impact of building dams on dozens of the smaller branches, known as tributaries.

Since the area is home to many species of migratory fish, the analysis found that several dam projects could block fish from swimming upstream and cause massive losses to diversity and fish supply.

This could have devastating effects on the tens of millions of rural, poor residents in the region who depend on subsistence fishing for their main source of food, said scientists from Cambodia's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute and Stanford and Princeton University.

More than one million tons of freshwater fish are caught each year in the Cambodian and Vietnamese floodplains, and the entire Mekong River Basin is home to 65 million people, about two-thirds of whom rely on fishing to survive.

"We find that the completion of 78 dams on tributaries, which have not previously been subject to strategic analysis, would have catastrophic impacts on fish productivity and biodiversity," said the study.

"Our results argue for reassessment of several dams planned, and call for a new regional agreement on tributary development of the Mekong River Basin."

Specifically, four planned dams were found to create the largest fish biomass losses, including the Lower Se San 2 in Cambodia (9.3% drop in fish biomass basin-wide), Se Kong 3d (2.3%), Se Kong 3u (0.9%), and Se Kong 4 (0.75%) in Laos.

Those projects were among 27 dams focused on by the team because they have construction planned between 2015 and 2030 and their future remains up in the air.

In all, the researchers identified 877 fish species in the Mekong River Basin, 103 of which would be potentially blocked from making their upstream migrations by hydropower development.

Tributary dams fall under national laws and do not require international agreement, even though building these dams could have "potentially significant transboundary impacts" on fish in other countries' waters, said the study.

- AFP/wk


Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1187196/1/.html

Xayaburi in hot water

Concerns are mounting that the US$3.7-billion Xayaburi Dam cannot proceed after the four-member Mekong River Commission delayed the project pending further environmental study.

Analysts said the decision at last week's MRC meeting disappointed the Thai market and raised concerns about the outlook of Ch. Karnchang (CK), Thailand's No. 3 construction company by value and the project's developer.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, the commission said Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand would ask the Japanese government and other international partners to help assess the impact of planned hydropower dams on the Mekong.
Chaiyatorn Sricharoen, an analyst at Bualuang Securities, sees the possibility of cancellation.
"Although the management of CK has remained confident that the project can go ahead," he said, "we have started to see that the ecosystem and sustainability of the lower Mekong have more weight than the benefits of selling the electricity from the dam."
According to Bualuang, the US Congress, which has influence on the MRC, seems to be opposed to Xayaburi for its possible impact on the environment.
More than 90% of the electricity from Xayaburi, with its capacity of 1,285 megawatts, would supply Thailand. The project is scheduled for commercial operation in early 2019.
CK owns a 57.5% stake in Xayaburi, with PTT Plc and Electricity Generating Plc holding 25% and 12.5%.
Nat Panassutrakorn, an analyst at KGI Securities, said the MRC resolution surprised the market and raised uncertainty about the viability of the project.
"Although the Laotian government has the final say," he said, "there is a political effort behind the scenes and development of Xayaburi is critical to the rest of the planned dams along the Mekong River."
The Xayaburi Dam, in northern Laos, is the first of 11 dams planned for the lower Mekong. Some 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, water and transportation.
"Currently, it depends on how much the information to be found by the Japanese side can back up the project," Mr Nat said.
CK executives could not be reached for comment. But SouthEast Asia Energy, the company overseeing the engineering works, reaffirmed that the possible impact to the environment was taken into account in CK's study presented to the Laotian government.
"It seems to me that the MRC decision does not directly mention further study of Xayaburi, but the general Mekong River," said Somkuan Watakeekul, SEAN's managing director. "The study we did covers all the concerning aspects, and we invest a lot to minimise environmental impact."
CK shares closed Tuesday at 7.70 baht, up 5 satang, in trade worth 41 million baht.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/270662/xayaburi-in-hot-water

Southeast Asia floods take 1,000 lives

A flood victim takes refuge with his family and pets on the elevated grounds of the Wat Ta Krai temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand (Reuters)

At least one thousand people have died in massive floods across Southeast Asia in recent months, according to an AFP tally on Thursday, and millions of homes and livelihoods have been destroyed.
The death toll in Thailand — grappling with its worst floods in half a century — has reached 533, the government said, and the slowly advancing waters are now threatening the heart of Bangkok, a city of 12 million people.
In neighbouring Cambodia, the most severe floods in over a decade have killed 248 people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest flood report. Vietnam’s government has reported at least 100 deaths, including many children, in southern and central parts of the country.
At least 106 people died in flash floods caused by heavy storms in central Burma in late October, a government official in the military-dominated country told AFP at the time, on condition of anonymity.
In the tiny nation of Laos, 30 people lost their lives in the floods, according to OCHA. The UN body, which does not include Burma in its flood updates, also reported 98 deaths in the Philippines.

Source: http://www.dvb.no/news/southeast-asia-floods-take-1000-lives/18661

Experts discuss Dong Ho Lake conservation

  

by Thien Ly

Authorities plan to boost conservation efforts at Dong Ho Lake in the southern province of Kien Giang. — File Photo

HA TIEN-KIEN GIANG — The conservation of Dong Ho Lake is one of several important objectives that the Kien Giang provincial People's Committee will implement in the following years, in an aim to enhance economic development and deal with climate change.

The statement was made by Le Van Thi, chairman of the People's Committee, at an international seminar held in Ha Tien on Friday.

The seminar's main objectives included assessing the current social and natural conditions surrounding Dong Ho Lake and its potential.

Identifying these factors would help experts, scientists and officials develop policies on conservation, exploitation and development of the lake, said Lam Hoang Sa, vice-chair of the People's Committee.

He said that information presented at the conference by scientists, managers and professionals would be used by provincial departments in their implementation of conservation and sustainable development programmes for the lake in the context of climate change and the rise of sea levels.

"It will also be used to support planning for Ha Tien to become a city of culture and tourism," he said.

"Ha Tien town is well-known for its numerous tourism attractions and historical monuments, and has been recognised as a border-gate economic zone and key tourism site of Kien Giang Province," Thi said.

"The karst mountain ecosystems and wetland in Ha Tien is considered to be of special importance. The saltwater Dong Ho Lake is a highlight of Viet Nam's coastal lagoon system."

Located in the centre of Ha Tien township, the 1,384-ha lake with 903ha of water surface, surrounded by 249,53ha of mangrove forests and 171,23ha under aquaculture cultivation plays a pivotal role in the economic, cultural and social life of residents, and is also valued for its biological diversity.

Sa said that it was urgent to plan for conservation of the ecosystem and hydrological regulation as well as the mitigation of flood damage downstream of Giang Thanh River.

All related departments and agencies had to begin working together soon on these goals, he said.

However, Sa noted that no official scientific research or statistical analysis and evaluation of the lake's value had been conducted.

More than 200 delegates including many foreign experts and scientists attended the conference delivering 20 presentations on three major topics.

These topics included the conservation of wetlands, mangroves and biodiversity of Dong Ho Lake, and the relationship between conservation and development of Dong Ho Lake in the context of climate change and sea-level rise.

It also included examining the means of livelihood, environmental problems and treatment, planning for the lake area, and developing strategies for conserving and promoting cultural heritage of Ha Tien to develop a tourism industry.

Prof Nguyen Ngoc Tran, director of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Development Research Institute, said Dong Ho Lake was the shallowest place in the sub-region of Ha Tien of Long Xuyen Quadrangle, with water running from Hau River.

"The environment of Dong Ho is under great pressure from the economic development of Ha Tien, particularly from urbanisation. Thus, between Dong Ho and the Gulf of Thailand, the river and the sea flows are becoming imbalanced.

Le Duc Tuan, director of the Institute of Can Gio Mangrove Forest, said that "Dong Ho Lake is a reservoir with several mangrove forests. The preservation of the lake should be given appropriate attention by the local authority and scientists, policymakers, provincial administration and the central government."

Dr. Thai Thanh Luom, director of Kien Giang Province's Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the lake was downstream of the Giang Thanh River which originated from Cambodia and flowed across the Ha Tien border and into the lake out to the sea adjacent to both Viet Nam and Cambodia.

Because the lake originates from the natural river and is in the southwestern part of the country, the floral and fauna distribution is dominated by three types of ecosystems: the riverside ecosystem, a freshwater source from upstream, and a brackish ecosystem, the latter an intermediary between salty fresh water and the salty coastal ecosystem.

"Because Dong Ho Lake has such high biodiversity, surveys of the area need to be undertaken to understand fauna and flora compositions there. Another task is to classify species and determine rare or endangered species, and the endemic species at Dong Ho Lake," Luom said.

There are about 704 families with about 3,006 people living mainly in the southwestern and southern areas near the lake. Most of these families live in poor conditions so it is of paramount importance to have proper planning and research conducted of the local community in the Dong Ho Lake area as soon as possible, according to Mai Van Huynh, chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Tien Township.

Huynh said that the provincial administration should develop policies to help local people find decent jobs so they would not continue to destroy the area's natural resources in order to make a profit.

Dr. Sharon Brown, chief of the Kien Giang Biosphere Conseveration Project and Climate Change in Coastal Ecosystem Programme, said in its conservation plan the province should have regulations that species which fish species in the Dong Ho Lake could be exploited and how long this exploitation could last. The aim is to protect biodiversity and prevent extinction of the variety of species.

The event was jointly organised by the Kien Giang People's Committee and Germany's GIZ Viet Nam under the support from UNESCO Viet Nam and the Australian Development Agency. — VNS

Source: http://vietnamnews.vnanet.vn//Environment/217601/Experts-discuss-Dong-Ho-Lake-conservation.html

Four polluting factories shut in HCM City

HCM CITY — Four polluting factories in HCM City were forced to suspend operations by having their power supply cut and their machinery and equipment sealed, the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment has announced.

The four firms are: a cloth dyeing workshop in District 12's Dong Hung Thuan Ward; Gia Hung Co Ltd in District 12's Tan Thoi Nhat Ward; paper producer Hoang Son Phat Co Ltd in Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park, Binh Chanh District; and Quoc Sieu Co Ltd in Binh Chanh District's Vinh Loc B Commune.
These factories had been fined earlier for violating environmental protection regulations. However, recent inspections showed that the gas emissions from these factories remain higher than permitted.
This is the first time this "strong" measure has been taken to force polluting enterprises to suspend their operations, the inspectors said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in central Thua Thien - Hue Province has fined 11 polluting enterprises over VND2 billion (US$95,200) for violating local environmental protection regulations.
Last week, Phan Van Dang, Chief Inspector of the Department, named the firms as violators: Thua Thien - Hue Enameled Tiles Co No 1; Hue Paper Material Joint Venture Co; Hue Textile and Garment JSC; Hue Seafood JSC; Kuks - Viet Nam Cement Co Ltd; Hoang Gia Paint Co Ltd; Thua Thien - Hue Mineral and Enameled Tile Co; Hue Brewery; Thuy Phuong Waste Treatment Co; Hue Environment and Urban Work Co; and Binh Dien Hydro-power Plant.
Their violations included the lack of wastewater and gas emission treatment facilities and the discharging of wastewater and gas in greater volumes than permitted, Dang said. — VNS

Source: http://vietnamnews.vnanet.vn//Environment/217483/Four-polluting-factories-shut-in-HCM-City.html

Vietnam agrees atomic power ties with S. Korea

Vietnam agreed on Tuesday to seek greater nuclear energy cooperation with South Korea, opening the way for its participation in a project to build atomic power plants in energy-hungry Vietnam.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak (right) ushers his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang during a welcoming ceremony at the Blue House in Seoul. Vietnam has agreed to seek greater nuclear energy cooperation with South Korea, opening the way for its participation in a project to build atomic power plants in energy-hungry Vietnam.

The agreement was reached during talks between Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-Bak, Lee's office said.
Sang is in South Korea for a three-day visit.
The leaders agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation for peaceful use of atomic power, a joint statement said.
"The two sides took a special note of South Korea's proposals on developing Vietnam's nuclear power plant based on South Korean technologies, nurturing human resources, transferring technologies and cooperation in other related areas," it said.
South Korea operates 20 nuclear plants, which generate some 35 percent of its electricity needs, and plans to build 12 more over the next 14 years.
It has vowed to stick to its atomic power development despite heightened concerns following Japan's earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that caused the world's worst atomic accident in 25 years.
Fast-growing Vietnam faces energy shortages and foreign businesses have expressed concern about a lack of energy and other infrastructure.
Hanoi has recently sought co-operation with nuclear-capable countries to help boost its needs.
Last month it Japan officially secured support to help build two nuclear reactors in Vietnam and in October last year Hanoi signed a deal with Russia worth an estimated $5.6 billion for its first nuclear power plant.
South Korea and Vietnam have boosted economic and diplomatic relations since they normalised ties in 1992. Two-way trade totalled $12.9 billion last year.
They agreed to boost trade to $20 billion earlier than their target year of 2015 and further to $30 billion.

Published: 8/11/2011 at 07:32 PM
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/265325/vietnam-agrees-atomic-power-ties-with-s-korea

Little action on many ‘green' laws

Craft workers decorate vases for Chu Dau pottery products - the high-class pottery line of Viet Nam since the 15th- 17th centuries, in Thai Tan Commune, Nam Sach District, Hai Duong Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Hong Ky

HA NOI — Environmental mismanagement and serious pollution at craft villages were discussed by the National Assembly in Ha Noi yesterday.

On the issue of environmental protection law and policies in economic zones and craft villages, Deputy Nguyen Duc Hien said legal documents relating to environmental protection were not synchronous, resulting in a lack of strict policing of violations and discontent among residents.
Many legal documents were produced too slowly or were too general, making them too difficult to enforce, he said.
Hien said authorities had not yet paid due attention to environmental protection while penalties for violators remained light.
Similarly, environmental impact assessment had received little attention during the investors' licence processes, despite it being compulsory under the Law on Environmental Protection.
Deputy Truong Minh Hoang said 110 legal documents had been issued to regulate the development of economic zones.
"We are not short of legal documents regarding the issue but the problem lies in the low quality and ineffective execution of these documents," Hoang said.
The deputy said environmental pollution had been increasingly alarming in economic zones and craft villages yet few violators were penalised.
Hoang attributed the situation to overlapping management and a lack of interest in environmental protection, from grassroots office level upwards.
Many provinces turned a blind eye to violations because they wanted to attract investment, he said.
Deputy Truong Thai Hien said economic zones and craft villages had generated jobs for nearly 1.5 million people and contributed to growth in the southern province of Kien Giang.
However, environmental pollution in economic zones had been two to six times higher than allowable rates there, he said.
He asked the Assembly to revise Decree 67 concerning the collection of environmental protection fees for waste water, saying the current rates remained too low and were not enough to cover the cost of testing waste water samples.
He also requested provincial authorities be given more power to oversee dumping grounds as Departments for Industry and Trade, Natural Resources and Environments were currently overlapping in managing these dumping grounds and were passing the buck to each other.
Deputy Nguyen Minh Lam said the quality of waste waster discharged from craft villages was not closely controlled before connecting to concentrated waste water treatment systems at economic zones, causing overloading and pollution.
Lam and other deputies asked the Assembly to issue a resolution on environmental protection supervision in economic zones and craft villages.
Participants at the session were told there were 18 coastal economic zones with 800 projects capitalised at US$50.8 billion. Viet Nam also had 3,400 craft villages employing more than 11 million workers. Of which, 30 per cent of employees were rural people.
Deputy Than Duc Nam requested the Assembly assess environmental protection laws and policies to see if they conformed with reality.
He cited the Law on Environmental Protection issued in 2005 that related to seven ministries and localities, yet co-ordination between them was neither smooth nor in accordance with their responsibilities.
He said they had not yet conducted regular inspections over the treatment of solid waste, exhaust fumes and waste water.
Deputy Ly Kieu Van, meanwhile, said crimes and violations on environmental protection law were increasing. A Government report had found more than 1,700 environmental pollution cases this year, representing an increase of 72.6 per cent compared with the previous year.
Only 135 cases with 138 offenders had been prosecuted while the rest received administration fines.
Similarly, a NA Standing Committee report said most coastal economic zones of 15 surveyed had not yet met their commitments on environmental protection. Very few had concentrated waste water treatment systems and some that had them but shut them down to save costs.
Van voiced her concern over synchronous management of different ministries on environmental protection issue.
"I'm not sure if the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is able to become a bandmaster and take major responsibility over the environment issue," she said.
According to the World Bank, Viet Nam will suffer losses through environmental pollution of up to 5.5 per cent of GDP each year. — VNS

Source: http://vietnamnews.vnanet.vn//Environment/217378/Little-action-on-many-%E2%80%98green-laws.html