Ha Noi's People Committee has set a target to reduce pollution by key industries by 2015. 

A worker collects garbage from the To Lich River in Ha Noi. The river is becoming more polluted, partly because of industrial discharge. The city plans to reduce pollution by targeting key industries to install waste-treatment plants and moving the worst polluters out of residential areas. (Photo: VNS)

Its pollution management plan focuses on controlling chemical, textile, colourant, paper, food processing and natural resources exploiting industries.

The plan stipulates all industrial and export processing zones and high-tech parks must have waste water treatment systems which meet environment protection standards. Eighty per cent of dangerous industrial wastes would be collected, stored and treated properly.

Industrial manufacturing firms which caused serious environmental pollution would be closed down or moved out of residential areas. The city would support them with site clearance and infrastructure construction to maintain production. Polluting plants would get priority for land in industrial zones and intensive production zones.

The city would publish lists of polluting factories each year and oversee the construction of automated waste observation systems and data management in some industrial parks by 2013.

Meanwhile, the city is speeding up construction of waste water treatment plants in concentrated industrial areas, including a plant inaugurated in Quang Minh 1 industrial park.

Industrial waste water treatment plants in Tu Liem, Thach That-Quoc Oai and Phu Nghia industrial parks have already been completed and were being tested. 

Source: VNS