“Medicine” to treat environmental pollution

After many efforts by businesses and authorities, it is undeniable that environmental pollution in industrial parks in the Southern Key Economic Zone has decreased and is no longer as frequent as it was 10 years ago.

However, environmental violations at some enterprises located in industrial parks are still a concern for many localities.

As evidence, in the first half of 2024, local authorities discovered many environmental violations occurring at enterprises and industrial parks in the South such as Kbec Vina Co., Ltd. (Ba Ria - Vung Tau); Sun Duck Vina Co., Ltd. (in Song Than 2 Industrial Park, Binh Duong province), Minh Hung - Korea Industrial Park (Binh Phuoc)... Some enterprises even violated many times, such as the case of Kbec Vina Co., Ltd. in Ba Ria - Vung Tau (3 times in 2 years), with fines of up to billions of VND. It is worth mentioning that this enterprise specializes in handling environmental pollution, but it is helping to "kill" the environment.

Not only violations in water and gas discharge, solid waste problem has not been thoroughly handled in some industrial zones.

Regulations on environmental protection in industrial parks are currently quite strict and complete in the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection and related decrees. However, due to the desire to reduce the cost of operating the environmental protection system, many businesses still ignore it, finding all kinds of ways to cheat such as burying, dumping, and burning waste in violation of regulations. Some businesses also use the "trick" of burying pipes underground without going through the wastewater treatment system, taking advantage of the rainy season to discharge waste into the environment.

The above situation requires the authorities and local governments to take early measures to deal with it. Recently, many localities in the South have begun to convert the functions of industrial parks to attract high-tech, environmentally friendly projects. Ho Chi Minh City alone has a plan to convert 5 industrial parks (including Tan Thuan, Hiep Phuoc, Tan Binh, Cat Lai, Binh Chieu); Dong Nai plans to relocate the entire Bien Hoa 1 Industrial Park by the end of 2025; Binh Duong also plans to relocate a number of long-standing industrial parks and businesses located in residential areas to concentrated industrial parks to limit environmental pollution...

However, one of the most effective solutions, considered a “cure” for the problem of environmental pollution in industrial zones, is to soon form ecological industrial zones and attract more environmentally friendly technology projects. Although this type of cure requires a larger investment cost, it is an urgent requirement in the current context, because foreign investors are increasingly strict when choosing investment destinations, wanting to invest in clean industrial zones that can fully meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.

In the context of Vietnam wanting to attract more high-quality capital flows, the development of green industrial parks is no longer a trend, but a mandatory requirement. Moreover, as Mr. Hardy Diec, CEO of Vietnam Industrial Parks, said, “the construction of green industrial parks is not just a trend, but in fact, this is the inevitable path towards a sustainable industry.”

Source: https://baodautu.vn/thuoc-tri-o-nhiem-moi-truong-d221158.html