The Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment said that to deal with air pollution in Hanoi, we should learn from the experiences of Beijing (China) and New York (USA) which have strong solutions such as increasing fees and not allowing cars to enter seriously polluted areas.
On the morning of January 7, the National Assembly Standing Committee gave its opinion on the National Assembly's thematic supervision outline on "Implementation of policies and laws on environmental protection since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect". This is the National Assembly's supreme supervision topic in 2025.
4 working groups directly supervise 15 localities
Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said that the assessment contents include activities to control pollution sources and manage water and air quality...
The monitoring content also focuses on inspection, auditing, monitoring of compliance with environmental protection laws and handling of violations, fighting against environmental crimes...
According to the outline, 4 working groups will directly monitor from the end of June to before July 31 in 15 localities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Can Tho, Hai Phong, Binh Duong, Long An, Tra Vinh, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ngai, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong.
The monitoring delegation will also work with ministries in the field, organize seminars to collect opinions from experts and scientists before working with the Government.
It is expected that the report on monitoring results and the draft resolution on thematic monitoring will be submitted to the National Assembly at the 10th session.
Need to comprehensively assess environmental pollution in Hanoi
Commenting on this plan, Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh mentioned the environmental pollution situation in Hanoi and suggested a comprehensive assessment.
“We keep talking about pollution, but no agency has yet made a comprehensive assessment of where it comes from. In my opinion, the monitoring team needs to review the sources of industrial emissions, large industrial zones around Hanoi, and how large production facilities cause pollution,” Mr. Vinh suggested.
According to him, with developing cities, construction dust will naturally arise, but it should be controlled. Hot growth will be associated with construction dust. He also mentioned the problem of pollution in industrial zones, construction zones, and agricultural areas due to burning waste and burning agricultural materials.
Therefore, the Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education requested that specialized and functional agencies raise this issue and take remedial measures.
“For example, in Beijing, there was a time when pollution was severe, but after moving all industrial production to the outskirts and reorganizing the greenery, now no one in Beijing says pollution anymore,” Mr. Vinh cited.
Charge extra fees and ban cars from entering heavily polluted areas
Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh emphasized that monitoring activities must provide strong policy recommendations based on the principle that "whoever causes pollution must pay for environmental remediation."
“Anyone who discharges 100m3 of wastewater must pay the fee for treating that 100m3 of wastewater. Monitoring must pay attention to the specific characteristics of each locality to have different plans. For example, in Hanoi, where air pollution is very urgent, we should focus on the field of air pollution,” said Mr. Dinh.
Responding later, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said that regarding the air pollution problem in Hanoi, the Government and Hanoi People's Committee have solutions but need to be monitored.
“After this round of monitoring, perhaps we need to take more drastic action. Based on the experience of some surrounding countries such as China, we must take stronger measures,” Mr. Thanh said.
The Deputy Minister cited the most recent example of New York City in the US increasing tolls and not allowing cars to enter areas with serious pollution or traffic congestion.
“The Hanoi People’s Committee has also planned to implement this. We hope that through monitoring, there will be stronger measures, including issues that need to be amended in laws and decrees of the Government and drastic actions by local authorities,” Mr. Thanh expected.
He also informed that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has a detailed plan to work with the monitoring team to help the monitoring be practical and point out solutions.
Air pollution in Hanoi is alarming, especially in the West Lake area.
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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hoc-bac-kinh-new-york-de-co-bien-phap-manh-voi-o-nhiem-khong-khi-o-ha-noi-2360858.html
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