Environment

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed to destroy seized illegally-trade elephant tusks and rhino horn at well-known destinations to raise awareness about animal protection.

Vietnam appreciates neighbouring countries’ efforts to coordinate in the sustainable use of the Mekong River’s water resources, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh said.

The bodies of at least two elephants have been found by the lakes in Dak Lak Province with heat and drought, being suspected as the main suspect.

China will continue discharging water from a hydropower station into the downstream Mekong River for drought relief, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said.

The Drang Phok Hydropower Plant project, which was started way back in 2007 and criticised for its impact on the ecosystem, has still not been scraped despite continued opposition.

Authorities in Ha Tinh Province are investigating a mass fish death in Ky Anh Town after local farmers raised fears it was caused by sewage discharge from the nearby Formosa Industrial Zone.

HCM City has announced that it will pump an estimated VNĐ11.61 trillion (US$505 million) into 84 projects in an attempt to reduce floods over the next five years.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the NA to allocate some VND100trn to build an irrigation system to cope with the serious drought.

The World Bank is boosting spending to help poorer countries battle global warming and power 150 million homes with renewable energy.

More than 120 countries have said they are ready to sign the UN’s accord to fight global warming, French ecology minister Segolene Royal said on Wednesday.

An ivory elephant appeared near residential areas in Phu Ly commune, Vinh Cuu district in the southern province of Dong Nai on April 5.

People in Ha Tinh Province have complained about the pollution caused by local cassava processing facility.

Hundreds of households on Thuy Khue Street in Hanoi have faced serious pollution from a local canal.

Forest fires caused by carelessness, and at times deliberately, by humans, is currently a huge challenge for competent authorities in the southern Tây Ninh Province, online newspaper vov.vn reported.

A number of coastal provinces in the Mekong Delta which are located about 25-40 km from the sea are expected to welcome inflows of fresh water in April when the tide recedes, according to the Southern Irrigation Science Institute.

Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake is running out of water, greatly affecting lives of hundreds of local fishermen.

Vietnam has urged the Netherlands to collaborate with Vietnam in conducting intensive research into solutions to preserve water in the Mekong Delta, which is facing severe drought and saltwater intrusion.

Quang Ngai People's Committee have demanded investors in the Dak-Re Hydropower Plant halt construction after it was discovered the company doing the building work had destroyed a large area of local forest.

Many wildlife species living in Lower U Minh National Park in the southern province of Cà Mau have been rediscovered recently by the Park’s management board.