There are still many shortcomings in the implementation of the Environmental Protection Law.
Since the Law on Environmental Protection (amended in 2020) came into effect, all levels, sectors, and localities in Nghe An province have made many efforts in implementing management, inspection, and handling of violations. However, environmental protection work still faces many shortcomings.
Implement coordinated measures
On November 17, 2020, the 14th National Assembly passed the 2020 Environmental Protection Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, replacing the 2014 Environmental Protection Law. Immediately after the Law came into effect, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee promptly issued numerous documents to concretize the central government's documents and apply them locally. To date, Nghe An province has issued 28 documents to direct, manage, and guide the implementation of the Law's provisions.
The dissemination and education of environmental laws have also received attention from departments, agencies, and localities through various forms and methods. As a result, the awareness of organizations and individuals regarding compliance with environmental protection laws has changed positively.
During the period 2022-2024, the Provincial People's Committee allocated 1,266 billion VND in environmental protection funds to all levels and units; and provided 623.3 billion VND in provincial-level public investment capital for 14 climate change projects. It also allocated 36.54 billion VND for the National Target Program on New Rural Development.
Furthermore, the Provincial People's Committee has advocated for diversifying financial resources for environmental protection, mobilizing social resources through the participation of businesses and the community. Specifically, in 2023, the Provincial People's Committee continued to call for investors to implement the "Waste Treatment Plant Project in the Southeast Nghe An Economic Zone with a capacity of 100,000 tons/year, total investment of VND 500 billion" and the "Investment Project to build a medical waste and hazardous waste treatment center in Vinh City and neighboring districts of Hung Nguyen district, with a capacity of 2.7 tons/day, total investment of VND 150 billion" according to the "List of projects calling for investment in the province until 2030".
At the same time, we will promote and publicize the investment and business environment to introduce the potential, strengths, and investment attraction policies of Nghe An province to domestic and international entities.
Currently, WEKOTEC Co., Ltd. (South Korea) has fully funded the water quality monitoring system (WECO-AiO-WQMS) equipment, manufactured by the company, to serve the automatic and continuous wastewater monitoring at the centralized wastewater treatment plants in Nam Cam Industrial Park and Hoang Mai I Industrial Park. The automatic and continuous monitoring data from these two wastewater treatment plants has now been connected to the Department of Agriculture and Environment (NN&MT) as per regulations.
The appraisal of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports and environmental permits has been carried out seriously and rigorously. Compliance with environmental protection laws by infrastructure investors and facilities in economic zones and industrial parks has significantly improved. To date, 100% of operating industrial parks in the province have centralized wastewater treatment systems meeting environmental standards, and 100% of new investment projects have had their environmental documents and procedures approved before commencing operations.
Regarding waste management, according to statistics, approximately 1,843.58 tons of waste are generated daily in Nghe An province; the total amount of household waste collected and processed reaches 97.6% in urban areas and 85.15% in rural areas.
Shortcomings
It is evident that the implementation of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law in the province has had a positive social impact, helping to improve the environment. However, many shortcomings still need to be addressed.
Accordingly, in Nghe An province, violations of environmental laws continue to occur frequently at various levels. During the period 2022-2024, the province's functional agencies conducted numerous inspections and audits, thereby detecting and handling many cases and establishments that violated the law.
Specifically, the Department of Agriculture and Environment conducted 36 inspections of 68 organizations; checked 62 facilities at risk of environmental pollution; verified complaints from voters and the press regarding 6 facilities; and provided guidance and environmental control at 129 livestock farms. Following the inspections, the Department advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue decisions to fine 3 organizations a total of 670 million VND.
The Chief Inspector of the Department of Agriculture and Environment also issued 27 penalty decisions against 27 organizations with a total fine of over 1 billion VND; and forced 5 organizations to pay inspection fees totaling nearly 28 million VND. District-level People's Committees handled 150 reports from the press, letters, and hotlines; conducted inspections and fined 36 establishments with a total of 1,693.6 million VND. The Provincial Police inspected 70 organizations, fined 70 organizations with a total of 1.610 billion VND; detected and handled 640 cases involving 680 violators, imposing fines of 8.533 billion VND...
Furthermore, some key environmental indicators of the province have shown slow growth and have not met expectations. For example, the percentage of seriously polluting facilities that have been thoroughly addressed was 87% in 2022, but only increased to 88% in 2023 and 2024. The percentage of pesticide residue sites for which new treatment projects have been established reached only 44.8%; the percentage of industrial clusters with wastewater treatment systems meeting standards only reached 40% in 2024; and the percentage of household solid waste treated to environmental protection standards has tended to decrease: from 79.9% in 2022 to 72.6% in 2023, then slightly increased to 79.08% in 2024...
A major problem today is the limited technical infrastructure for environmental protection. Industrial clusters, craft villages, and Type V urban areas (towns) lack separate wastewater treatment systems. Many places discharge wastewater directly into the environment without treatment. Wastewater drainage systems are often shared with rainwater drainage systems, lacking clear separation.
The air quality monitoring system remains inadequate and inconsistent. The entire province has only one automatic air quality monitoring station. Despite numerous efforts, the collection, transportation, and processing of household waste still face shortcomings. Landfills do not meet distance requirements, processing technology is outdated, and landfills are overloaded. The problem of illegal dumpsites persists in many localities, especially in rural and mountainous areas.
Furthermore, the implementation of waste sorting at source – a mandatory requirement under the law from January 1, 2025 – is experiencing serious delays. Infrastructure has not been invested in, the public has not been adequately informed, and preparations are fragmented.
According to the 2024 network monitoring results, surface water quality in Nghe An province continues to show signs of pollution in several organic, inorganic, and microbiological parameters; the handling of polluting facilities and serious environmental pollution left over from the past is still slow...
It is evident that the 2020 Environmental Protection Law was expected to be a major step forward in state management of the environment. However, ineffective, inconsistent, and delayed implementation has exacerbated the risk of environmental pollution, affecting people's health and the sustainable development of localities.
Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of the Environmental Protection Law, it is necessary to strengthen inspections and strictly penalize polluting activities. Investment in infrastructure needs to be boosted, public awareness raised; all levels of government need to be more decisive in their direction and management; and citizens and businesses need to raise their awareness and proactively participate in environmental protection activities. Only then will the environment not become a "bottleneck" to development.
