HCMC stepping up efforts to improve environment quality

Ho Chi Minh City has been making every efforts to improve environment quality as nearly three million tons of waste was produced from daily activities in the city last year.
HCMC stepping up efforts to improve environment quality
The municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment has just released the information. Moreover, it predicted that waste will increase by 15 percent on current level this year. The reality has posed many challenges on waste treatment and protection of city dwellers’ living condition.
Experts cautioned that waste will grow fast in the future because the city was the home of 10 million residents from all corners of the country. In addition to natural increase and population growth, the city receives additional 200,000 immigrants from other countries.
Regarding production and investment, around 300,000 enterprises and their business partners operate in the city every year. Last but not least, nearly 2,000 condominium and commercial centers are constructed in the city plus more housing projects are carried out annually.
Statistically, waste produced from daily activities has increased from 7,000 tons a day to nearly 10,000 tons a day from 2017 till now. According to the Department, industrial waste also jumped from 1,000 tons a day to 2,500 tons a day excluding waste thrown away into environment secretly.
As a result, the city has faced big challenges in handling waste. Problems in treating waste have arisen in reality. Residents have complained about unpleasant smell coming from the landfill in Binh Chanh District invested by Vietnam Waste Solutions despite many solutions have been adopted.
Associate Professor Phung Chi Sy, Director of the Environmental Technology Center under the Institute of Environmental Technology, said the government should call for social contribution in the field of waste, sludge and waste water treatment. According to him, investment attraction should be done concurrently with requirement of advanced waste treatment methods.
The city's authorities have asked state competent agencies to develop policies to attract investment in the field of solid waste treatment with top priority for investors using modern waste treatment methods.
The city has so far licensed three waste-to-energy plants, which were developed by Vietstar, Tam Sinh Nghia Investment and Development Company , Tasco and Moc An Chau Company.

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