The government has instructed to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to inspect projects across the country which have a big waste discharge amount from August this year following Formosa’s case.
According to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, the move is aimed to more rapidly detect environmental violations. After the inspection, the ministry will propose the government revises regulations in the Law on Environment to improve management of environmental issues.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment inspected Formosa's steel plant in Ha Tinh
The minister said that the inspection will focus industrial production projects in Hanoi, HCM City, Danang, Can Tho and Haiphong, which daily discharge 200 cubic metres a day, posing a high risk of pollution.
Meanwhile, for the remaining cities and provinces, the projects with waste discharge from 500 cubic metres per day will be inspected.
The inspections will start next month and are scheduled to be completed by the end of October this year.
Following the toxic discharges which led to mass fish deaths in the four central province of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co.'s admitted its responsibility for the massive pollution and pledged USD500 million in compensation. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has also set up a special taskforce to supervise the company’s operations for three years.
