Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and a Finnish delegation led by Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto on May 10 discussed issues regarding global climate change, thus pushing ahead with bilateral cooperation plans in waste management and energy solutions.
Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto (left) and Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee (Source: baocantho.com.vn)
Can Tho (VNA) – Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of CanTho and a Finnish delegation led by Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto on May 10discussed issues regarding global climate change, thus pushing ahead withbilateral cooperation plans in waste management and energy solutions.
At the working session in Can Tho, the Finnish officials cited asurvey by non-governmental organisations revealing that Vietnam ranks fourth inthe amount of waste discharged to rivers, after China, Indonesia, and thePhilippines.
The rivers carry rubbish into the ocean, causing serious andlingering environmental pollution, they said, stressing the dangers of maritimeplastic waste which takes hundreds of years to decompose.
They also pointed out traditional waste treatment methods like burningor burying as factors behind soil and air pollution, as well as materialwastefulness, and proposed complete waste treatment in order to turn garbageinto valued products.
Floating trash in rivers can be scooped up by nets installed atestuaries to stop it from entering the ocean, and then be collected and classifiedfor subsequent treatments, they said.
Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, saidwaste collection, classification, and treatment is a pressing issue facing thecity, noting that the Finnish-proposed model matches the locality’s desires.
Representatives from the municipal Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment will coordinate with experts from Can Tho University to workwith the Finnish side in this regard, he said.
Can Tho wishes to partner with Finland in farm produce and seafoodprocessing, high-tech agriculture, IT, and infrastructure development, Dungsaid, underlining his wish that these matters be further discussed by the twosides on the occasion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)conference on climatechange response toward sustainability in the city in June.
According to the city’s Department of External Affairs, Can Thoexported 93,900 USD worth of goods to Finland in 2018, mainly garment-textiles.–VNA
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Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto (left) and Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee (Source: baocantho.com.vn) 
