(TN&MT) - Minister Do Duc Duy proposed that the parties together choose November 2024 as a milestone, marking joint actions - inter-sectoral coordination solutions - commitments for coordination and cohesion between Central and Local agencies in solving the problem of air pollution - a common environmental pollution problem that is currently receiving great public attention.
At the Conference “Promoting the implementation of solutions to reduce air pollution in major cities of Vietnam”, Minister Do Duc Duy and delegates from ministries, sectors, localities, scientists, organizations, and businesses directly listened and shared about the current state of air pollution in Vietnam in general and in major cities of the country.
In addition, the conference also presented many successful experiences in solving air pollution problems of some countries in the region, thereby proposing important groups of solutions to solve air pollution problems in Vietnam that need to be focused on implementing in the coming time.
Share solutions to control air pollution
According to Mr. Le Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Pollution Control (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), it is necessary to review and advise the Government and the Prime Minister to issue major policies of macro-level importance related to air quality management. In particular, it is necessary to focus on policies on taxes and environmental protection fees; policies on support for treatment technology, environmentally friendly products, etc. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out inventory and closely monitor emission sources to accurately determine the level of emission sources, thereby having solutions to prevent, minimize, and handle them properly and effectively.
Regarding the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, said that the Ministry of Transport proposed a number of solutions including controlling emissions through the application of Emission Standards to control emissions at the source for manufactured, assembled and imported motor vehicles, before being put into circulation as well as motor vehicles in circulation; controlling emissions through green energy conversion solutions, developing low-emission vehicles.
Emphasizing that air pollution has a direct impact on human health, Ms. Le Thai Ha - Deputy Director of the Department of Health Environment Management, Ministry of Health said that the Ministry has implemented a number of solutions including: Developing "Recommendations for preventing and combating the impact of air pollution on public health" according to the AQI air quality index levels for normal people and sensitive people.
At the same time, develop a handbook on preventing and combating the impact of air pollution on health, including general guidelines and guidelines for groups of people, the elderly, children, people with underlying medical conditions, traffic participants, and develop guidelines for protecting public health from the impact of air pollution" by the Institute of Occupational Health and Environment.
Regarding localities, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tan - Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that the city has issued a Plan for air quality management in Hanoi until 2030, with a vision to 2035. This includes action programs to control and reduce major sources of pollution from traffic, industry, and people's activities...; Establish an air pollution prevention warning system; Build an inter-sectoral, inter-level, and inter-regional coordination mechanism to mobilize resources and participation to implement short- and long-term solutions.
According to Ms. Ngo Nguyen Ngoc Thanh - Department of Environmental Protection of Ho Chi Minh City, the City government has assigned departments and branches to implement common solution groups, together with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment responsible for presiding over and urging departments and branches to implement the plan.
Currently, the City is maintaining observation at 36 air-related points. According to the Plan, the City will have 34 intermittent monitoring points and 20 continuous monitoring points for air pollution. At the same time, actively implementing programs and solutions to reduce air pollution from traffic.
In addition, the City also developed a set of documents on air quality to raise public awareness. For prevention work, the City ensures standards and regulations on urban trees and water surfaces. Currently, the tree planting movement has been launched to every household, agency, and school.
Speaking at the conference, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Luong, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering shared practical experiences in air quality management in Bangkok, Thailand. At the same time, he made some recommendations and proposals for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Bangkok, Thailand was previously very polluted, but the local authorities of the above cities have had many synchronous solutions to implement air pollution reduction and have achieved many recorded results.
Take the example of the policy and solution of the Bangkok government. They have established the Committee for Prevention and Resolution of Air Pollution caused by PM2.5 dust of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) - the Chairman of the Committee is the Governor of Bangkok and established the BMA Air Pollution Coordination and Resolution Center - run by the Governor of Bangkok.
The functions of these two agencies will be to monitor, report and publicize the PM2.5 dust pollution situation, and to unify the efforts of relevant parties to promptly resolve the problem. In case the PM2.5 dust concentration exceeds the standard, the Center will notify the district offices in the area and relevant agencies to take immediate action.
The tasks of these two agencies will be to monitor the implementation of short-term solutions such as: Cleaning and spraying water to wash the streets; Strengthening inspection and limiting polluting vehicles; Regulating traffic and promoting the use of public transport systems; Controlling dust from construction activities; Prohibiting burning garbage and open burning...
For monitoring the implementation of long-term solutions: Improving automobile emission standards and fuel quality; Developing public transport networks; Providing “Park&Ride” buildings to promote the use of public transport systems; Expanding urban green areas…
On that basis, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Luong made a number of recommendations and proposals for the two cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on Air Quality Management Tools; Policies, solutions, resources; Inter-regional and inter-provincial coordination in air quality management.
November 2024 - a mark for joint actions - coordinated cross-sectoral solutions
Concluding the Conference, Minister Do Duc Duy said that the Conference provided complete and specific information and carried important messages, affirming the determination to reduce the current air pollution situation. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment would like to receive and synthesize, research and advise competent authorities to issue or issue under their authority legal documents and regulations and standards on air pollution control in the coming time.
Based on many opinions from the delegates, it is necessary to be more drastic and systematic in organizing the implementation of air pollution control measures; at the same time, it is necessary to select priority content and focus resources on implementation to achieve the set goals. In which, the emphasis is on the implementation organization and implementation solutions.
With that determination, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment respectfully proposes that the parties jointly choose November 2024 as a milestone, marking joint actions - inter-sectoral coordination solutions - commitments to coordination and cohesion between Central and Local agencies in solving the problem of air pollution - a common environmental pollution problem that is currently receiving great public attention.
“Acting together” with 05 groups of solutions
In the spirit of "acting together" from the ideas at the Conference, Minister Do Duc Duy pointed out a number of key tasks that need to be implemented in the coming time.
Firstly, regarding the group of institutional and policy solutions, the Minister suggested that ministries and branches urgently review and advise competent authorities to issue policies to enhance the effectiveness of air quality management, focusing on policies on environmental protection tax and environmental protection fees for emissions; policies on loans, support and incentives for "green transformation"; preferential and support policies (import tax) for equipment and technology to treat and reduce emissions; preferential and support policies for environmentally friendly products recycled from recovered products such as agricultural by-products; emission standards for imported and domestically produced road motor vehicles, etc.
Second, regarding the group of technical solutions, the Minister requested that specialized agencies of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment quickly complete and effectively operate the database on emission sources, automatically monitor large emission sources and connect data online. In principle, air quality must be monitored and supervised regularly, continuously and publicly announced in accordance with the provisions of law.
“We can now feel and observe air pollution. But exactly what level it is, what components it is in, and what its impact is, we must rely on monitoring data, analysis, and synthesis to make appropriate decisions,” Minister Do Duc Duy analyzed.
In addition, the Minister suggested that it is necessary to standardize the existing monitoring system, on the basis of adding a number of automatic monitoring stations to ensure that data is transmitted and connected according to regulations to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment regularly, continuously and without interruption; Focus on implementing the National Environmental Monitoring Master Plan for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.
At the same time, the calculation and publication of the ambient air quality index (AQI) must be carried out seriously and promptly, in order to publish the results of air quality monitoring according to regulations.
Through the Conference, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposed:
The Ministry of Science and Technology shall preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies, experts, and scientists to research and propose effective solutions to immediately limit dust generation from traffic and construction activities (identified as the source group with the highest risk of causing PM 2.5 dust pollution in the air);
The Ministry of Transport shall promptly promulgate and apply regulations on standards and norms for road motor vehicle emissions; promote the conversion to green, zero-emission transport; use clean, environmentally friendly fuels; and encourage the use of public transport.
Third, the group of solutions on management and control of mobile and dispersed waste sources , strengthening inspection, examination and handling of violations. Minister Do Duc Duy said that the responsibility for implementing this content mainly belongs to local authorities at all levels. In which:
It is recommended that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of localities promptly advise the People's Committees of provinces and cities to develop, promulgate and effectively implement air quality control plans. Increase investment in automatic air quality monitoring stations and provide timely information to central management agencies as well as to the people.
At the same time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of localities promptly advised the People's Committees of provinces and cities to urgently review and evaluate establishments that are in the group of large emission generators, thereby having a roadmap to relocate production establishments out of urban areas and concentrated residential areas, and close down production and business establishments that cause environmental pollution according to the provisions of law. Perfecting the organization of human resources, state management of the environment in general, including the air environment, and issuing action plans.
In particular, local authorities must strengthen and strictly control agricultural by-product burning activities. "It is time for us to strictly handle according to the provisions of the law on environmental protection the acts of burning agricultural by-products, burning urban waste, burning leaves and plant biomass from street cleaning indiscriminately, causing air pollution." - Minister Do Duc Duy emphasized.
In addition, the Ministry of Construction is requested to direct the strengthening of management of construction material production facilities, requiring compliance with environmental protection laws regarding waste discharge activities; and direct localities to strengthen inspection and supervision of construction activities in large cities.
Propose that the Ministry of Public Security direct the control and strict handling of vehicles transporting construction materials in the city center and densely populated areas to ensure that construction materials are not spilled or released into the environment.
Propose that the Ministry of Health conduct research to promulgate and guide the implementation of solutions and technical measures to protect public health, especially for groups sensitive to respiratory problems (elderly, children, sick people, etc.).
For the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry will continue to direct and require industrial production establishments, especially those generating large amounts of dust and emissions, to strictly implement measures to monitor emissions at the source; control and treat dust and emissions to meet national technical standards on the environment before discharging; At the same time, the Ministry will strengthen inspection and supervision of establishments that are required to install automatic emission monitoring and transmit data to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in accordance with environmental protection laws.
Fourth, regarding the group of communication solutions, Minister Do Duc Duy requested press and media agencies to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and local ministries and branches to provide complete, timely and accurate information to people to proactively respond, limit the impact of air pollution on health and serve the direction and management of socio-economic development of localities and the whole country.
Fifth, the group of resource solutions suggests that localities pay attention to and invest resources in controlling pollution from sources of emissions that affect air quality, adding green areas - water surfaces, increasing street sanitation ... to minimize emissions into the environment. In the long term, there needs to be a project to convert the green transport system, develop public transport with the earliest implementation roadmap.
For localities, the Minister suggested that good initiatives and effective models should be encouraged to be implemented and replicated. On the occasion of this Conference, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment called on enterprises, large economic groups, domestic and international organizations to join hands, seek and implement initiatives and pilot "green solutions" applicable to the inner city areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Sharing at the Conference, Minister Do Duc Duy said that the viewpoint of our Party and State is very clear and steadfast "not to trade the environment for economic development". With the work of protecting the air environment, we need to unanimously affirm that this is a common task of the whole society. In the coming time, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will urgently develop and submit to the Prime Minister for consideration and promulgation of the "Inter-sectoral, inter-regional, inter-provincial coordination mechanism in the work of controlling and reducing air pollution" for implementation.
Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/phoi-hop-lien-nganh-lien-vung-lien-tinh-nham-giam-thieu-o-nhiem-moi-truong-khong-khi-383145.html
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