VietNamNet Bridge - Officials and environmental experts from Germany’s Sachsen state have shared with Vietnamese counterparts their experience and insights in dealing with environmental pollution, particularly in industrial zones and old mines.

"Viet Nam is one of the fastest developing nations with impressive economic growth. But along with soaring development, its environment faces a great threat," said Dr. Jurgen Staupe, deputy minister of Sachsen’s Agriculture and Environment Ministry during a meeting with Vietnamese officials and businessmen in HCM City yesterday.

"We are here to share all the experience and ach-ievements in environmental protection that Sachsen has achieved over the last 20 years," he added.

Mines into parks

Sachsen, with a population of 4.2 million, was an industrialised area that thrived on coal mining for 800 years. Before Germany reunited, half of the residents in the state had no drainage and water treatment system.

Now, 84 per cent of inhabitants benefit from water treatment systems. Only seven of a total of 1.500 rubbish dumps are operating. In particular the state has successfully transformed old coal mines into tourism parks.

Several billion euros has been spent on the environment and the investment in technology for environment protection "grows 17 per cent each year in our state," he added.

In Sachsen, the International Environmental Protection and Technology Association (Saxutec) has gathered 130 companies specialising in environmental protection.

"I believe that our environment achievement is useful and fits with development reality in Viet Nam," said Dr. Roland Hahne, chairman of Saxutec.

Viet Nam and Sachsen have a long history of cooperation, and there are about 100,000 Vietnamese living in the state.

Long way to go

According to a recent report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, only 59 industrial and processing zones nationwide have operating water treatment systems, 25 others are building them, but 134 have no system at all.

There is no facility to treat solid and hazardous industrial wastes.

"Industrial and processing zones have played a very important role in the development of Viet Nam. They have created over 1.2 million jobs, produced nearly one-third of the nation’s industrial production value and exported a quarter of its goods," said Vu Van Hoa, head of the HCM City Export Processing Zone and Industrial Park Authority (HEPZA).

Monitoring lax

He admitted that environmental pollution monitoring by companies inside industrial and processing zones had been lax in the past, but added all regulations had been tightened and enterprises and industrial zones asked to build water treatment systems immediately.

Experience and assistance from international experts would be very useful for Viet Nam, Hoa said.

The German Construction Bank has provided a loan of 11 million euros to set up water treatment systems in industrial zones in Viet Nam, he noted.

VietNamNet/VNS

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