Do Luong focuses on environmental criteria in new rural construction

Environment (criterion 17) is one of the necessary and important criteria in the National Criteria Set of the New Rural Development Program. The general goal of this criterion is to protect the ecological environment, improve and enhance the quality of the rural environment... It can be said that this is the most difficult criterion to achieve and maintain even in communes that have met the standards.

The Women's Union of Do Luong district organized propaganda about the movement against plastic waste. Photo: Hoang Phi

For a long time, "Trash bins without plastic bags, freezers without plastic waste" has been the motto of the Ngoc Son Commune Women's Union in the "anti-plastic waste" movement. Up to now, the amount of plastic bags in the trash bins of most member families has significantly reduced; food preservation in the refrigerator is also stored in plastic and glass containers to ensure health. The collection of scrap, "turning scrap into useful work" has been launched by 9/9 women's unions, organized every 3 months through regular meetings; from this fund, members in difficult circumstances are given plastic baskets, breeding animals, insurance cards... Through implementation, the models have contributed to cleaner houses, beautifying village roads and alleys.
With the above work, Ngoc Son commune has basically completed the environmental criteria, and at the end of 2019, the province assessed and recognized the commune as meeting NTM standards.

Although the commune has reached the NTM target, it is still making efforts to overcome shortcomings and limitations such as the habit of littering and the "clean house, dirty alley" mentality of some people, which causes pollution from waste to still occur. To overcome and maintain environmental criteria to improve the quality of the new rural areas, in early December 2019, the Commune Women's Union launched a pilot model of "sorting waste at source and limiting the use of hard-to-decompose waste" in Dong Tam hamlet. 38 participating members were given plastic baskets to go to the market and 2 trash bins to sort waste at source; funding was provided from the district budget and the commune's "Environmental Career" fund.

Ms. Hoang Thi Huong - President of Women's Union of Ngoc Son commune (Do Luong).

Recognized as meeting new rural standards since 2018, Trung Son commune has always focused on sustainable environmental protection and has received the support of the people. This is also one of the localities that has clearly changed the environmental landscape through the movements: "Women's self-managed road, joining hands to build new rural areas"; "Clean house, beautiful garden, civilized alley";... In particular, with the model "Collecting and classifying waste at source, treating organic waste with microorganisms at households" has gradually improved environmental criteria; currently, the whole commune has 165 households implementing this model. There are 2 types of garbage pits: fixed or mobile, designed depending on the amount of garbage in the family; the garbage pit is about 60 cm wide, 50 cm deep and must have a lid. After being classified, organic waste is put into the pit and treated with microorganisms.

Model of collecting and classifying waste at source, treating organic waste with microorganisms at households in Trung Son commune (Do Luong). Photo: Ngoc Anh

After a period of time, the decomposed waste can be used as fertilizer for plants. This model is considered by people to be easy to do, low cost, beneficial for environmental protection and has the effect of reusing for crop development.

“The goal of the model of waste classification at source, organic waste treatment using biotechnology at households is to reduce the amount of waste collected and treated at centralized landfills; to minimize odors caused by organic waste decomposition at landfills, to limit the generation of leachate that pollutes surface water and groundwater; to reuse organic waste after treatment as organic fertilizer to serve sustainable agricultural development in the locality. At the same time, it saves the budget for waste treatment in the area and raises awareness of environmental protection for each individual and household.”

Mr. Doan Van Linh - Chairman of Trung Son Commune People's Committee

Localities in Do Luong district have many activities to join hands for the environment. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

Through practical implementation, most communes assess the environment as a "soft" but difficult to achieve criterion. However, with many practical solutions, this criterion has been implemented synchronously and effectively by Do Luong district, all environmental indicators have met the regulations. Up to now, the rate of rural residents using hygienic water is 99%; garbage and solid waste collection in the area and wastewater from concentrated residential areas and production and business establishments are collected and treated according to regulations; the rate of households with toilets, bathrooms, and water tanks that are hygienic and ensure 3 clean; the rate of households and food production and business establishments complying with regulations on ensuring food safety is high...

Mr. Nguyen Trung Thanh - Vice Chairman of Do Luong District People's Committee said: The new rural construction program in recent years has received the active response and participation of the entire political system and people of all walks of life. With high political determination and focused leadership, drastic, synchronous and creative direction of the Party Committee and the government, many encouraging results have been achieved. By the end of 2019, the district had 21/33 communes and towns recognized as meeting new rural standards. In 2019, there were 35 more criteria compared to 2018, bringing the total number of criteria in the district to 557, with an average of 17.4 criteria per commune, of which 23 communes met 19 criteria; in terms of environmental criteria alone, 26 communes met the standards...